Where does “-ee” come from?
-ee (Middle French) comes from Latin -eus, from Ancient Greek -εῖος, from Proto-Indo-European -iHwós, from Proto-Indo-European -wós — Creates adjectives from verb stems.
Ancestry of “-ee”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |