Where does “-ic” come from?
-ic (Middle High German) comes from Old High German -ig, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
Ancestry of “-ic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | -ig | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |