Where does “-en” come from?
-en (Scots) comes from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.
Ancestry of “-en”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 2 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 3 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 4 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |