Where does “even” come from?

even (Middle English) comes from Old English efn, from Proto-West Germanic ebn, from Proto-Germanic ebnaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos — equal, straight; flat, level, even.

even (Middle English): smoothly, evenly

Definitions

  1. smoothly, evenly

Ancestry of “even”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishefnequal, level, even
2Proto-West Germanicebneven, level
3Proto-Germanicebnazeven, level
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁émnosequal, straight; flat, level, even

Words derived from “even”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos →