Etymology Explorer › Proto-West Germanic

Where does “-jan” come from?

-jan (Proto-West Germanic) comes from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.

-jan (Proto-West Germanic): Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...

Definitions

  1. Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...

Ancestry of “-jan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
2Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
4Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “-jan”

  • straight
  • stretch
  • straightforward
  • stretching
  • champion
  • garment
  • championship
  • straighten
  • skirmish
  • straightway
  • stretcher
  • lam
  • beckoning
  • straightforwardly
  • beckon
  • leam
  • tarnish
  • scrimmage
  • nestle
  • scrum
  • straightforwardness
  • stretchy
  • undergarment
  • scrim
Every word from Chichewa iye →