Where does “on efn” come from?

on efn (Old English) comes from Old English on, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.

Ancestry of “on efn”, step by step

on efn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English on

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
2Proto-West Germanicanaon
3Proto-Germanic*an—
4Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via Old English efn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishefnequal, level, even
2Proto-West Germanicebneven, level
3Proto-Germanicebnazeven, level
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁émnosequal, straight; flat, level, even
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ana →Every word from Proto-Germanic *an →
on efn — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer