-ern
See also: ern, ERN, and Ern
English
Etymology
In form, from Middle English -erne, -ern, -ren, -ron (northern(e), northron, so(u)thern(e), sothron, etc), from Old English -erne (norþerne, etc), from Proto-Germanic *-r- (probably from rebracketing of *nurþrōnijaz etc) + *-ōnijaz, whence also Old High German -rōni, Old Saxon -rōni, Old Norse -rœnn / Old Norse -œnn. In practice, possibly a back-formation from northern, southern, etc.
(Contrast the -ern in hāligern, etc, which is related to ærn (“place”).)
Suffix
-ern
- (nonstandard outside fossilized words) Added to the names of directions to form adjectives.
Derived terms
- leftern, rightern
Related terms
- northern, eastern, southern, western
- northron, southron, westron
Further reading
- “-ern” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Anagrams
- -ner-, -ren, NRE, REN, RNE, ner, ren
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [-ɐn]
Audio (file)
Suffix
-ern
- (clarification of this definition is needed) Alternative form of -en
- makes adjectives with the meaning "made out of"
Derived terms
► <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:German_words_suffixed_with_-ern' title='Category:German words suffixed with -ern'>German words suffixed with -ern</a>
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English -ern, from ærn (“place”).
Suffix
-ern
- Denotes a place related to the noun it attaches to
Etymology 2
From Old English -erne.
Suffix
-ern
- Alternative form of -erne
Descendants
- English: -ern
Old English
Etymology 1
From adjectival use of -ærn (“noun suffix denoting location”), from ærn (“place”).
Suffix
-ern
- Suffix meaning "a place".
- hāliġ (“holy”) + -ern → hāligern (“sanctuary, holy place”)
Alternative forms
- -ærn
Descendants
- Middle English: -ern
Etymology 2
Variant of -erne.
Suffix
-ern
- Suffix meaning "toward a place"; alternative form of -erne
Descendants
- Middle English: -erne, -ern
- English: -ern