Where does “er” come from?
er (Old Dutch) comes from Proto-West Germanic airi, from Proto-Germanic airiz, from Proto-Germanic airi — early.
Ancestry of “er”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-West Germanic | airi | early |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | airiz | earlier, before; comparative degree of *airi |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | airi | early |