Where does “-er” come from?

-er (Middle French) comes from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.

-er (Middle French): Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs;...

Definitions

  1. Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs;...

Ancestry of “-er”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latin-ārefirst conjugation
2Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
3Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
4Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
6Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “-er”

Every word from Chichewa iye →