Where does “-ain” come from?
-ain (Middle French) comes from Latin -āneus, from Latin -eus, from Proto-Italic *-eos.
Ancestry of “-ain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | -āneus | — |
| 2 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | *-eos | — |