Where does “-as” come from?

-as (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic -ōs, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess, from Proto-Indo-European -os — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

-as (Old English): Plural ending of nominative and accusative cases,...

Definitions

  1. Plural ending of nominative and accusative cases,...

Ancestry of “-as”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic-ōs—
2Proto-Indo-European-ēsPrimarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds
3Proto-Indo-European-ess—
4Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

Words derived from “-as”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ēs →Every word from Proto-Germanic -ōs →