Where does “-an” come from?
-an (Volapük) comes from Volapük län, from German land, from Middle High German lant, from Old High German lant, from Proto-West Germanic land, from Proto-Germanic landą, from Proto-Indo-European lendʰ- — land, heath; loins.
-an (Volapük): used as the suffix for a country, land , notional...
Definitions
- used as the suffix for a country, land , notional...
Ancestry of “-an”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Volapük | län | country |
| 2 | German | land | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | lant | land; country |
| 4 | Old High German | lant | land; country |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | land | land, area of ground |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | landą | land, area of ground |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lendʰ- | land, heath; loins |