Where does “-іва” come from?

-іва (Ukrainian) comes from Ukrainian -а, from Proto-Slavic -ja, from Proto-Indo-European -yeh₂.

Ancestry of “-іва”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ukrainian-аused to form feminine deverbal nouns denoting a result, process or an abstract concept
2Proto-Slavic-jaSuffix creating feminine action nouns, usually...
3Proto-Indo-European-yeh₂—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Slavic -ja →Every word from Ukrainian -а →