Where does “-a” come from?
-a (Old Portuguese) comes from Latin -at, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.
Ancestry of “-a”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | -at | third-person singular present active indicative... |
| 2 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 6 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |