Where does “-en” come from?
-en (Middle Low German) comes from Proto-Germanic -aną, from Proto-Indo-European -onom, from Proto-Indo-European -nós — Creates verbal adjectives from roots.
Ancestry of “-en”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | -aną | The infinitive suffix of strong verbs |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | -onom | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | -nós | Creates verbal adjectives from roots |