< Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic
Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-ēn
 | This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed words and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence. |
Proto-West Germanic
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *-āną, by extending the suffix alternant -ai- throughout all forms, analogous to the second weak class.
Suffix
*-ēn
- Creates denominative verbs from nouns.
- Creates stative or factitive verbs from adjectives.
Inflection
| Class 3 weak | ||
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | *-ēn | |
| 1st sg. past | *-?dā | |
| Infinitive | *-ēn | |
| Genitive infin. | *-ēnijas | |
| Dative infin. | *-ēnijē | |
| Instrum. infin. | *-ēniju | |
| Indicative | Present | Past |
| 1st singular | *-ē | *-?dā |
| 2nd singular | *-ēs | *-?dēs, *-?dēs |
| 3rd singular | *-ēþ | *-?dē, *-?dā |
| 1st plural | *-ēm | *-?dum |
| 2nd plural | *-ēþ | *-?dud |
| 3rd plural | *-ēnþ | *-?dun |
| Subjunctive | Present | Past |
| 1st singular | *-ē | *-?dī |
| 2nd singular | *-ēs | *-?dī |
| 3rd singular | *-ē | *-?dī |
| 1st plural | *-ēm | *-?dīm |
| 2nd plural | *-ēþ | *-?dīd |
| 3rd plural | *-ēn | *-?dīn |
| Imperative | Present | |
| Singular | *-ē | |
| Plural | *-ēþ | |
| Present | Past | |
| Participle | *-ēndī | *-?d |
Derived terms
► <a href='/wiki/Category:Proto-West_Germanic_words_suffixed_with_*-%C4%93n' title='Category:Proto-West Germanic words suffixed with *-ēn'>Proto-West Germanic words suffixed with *-ēn</a>
Descendants
Remained only slightly productive in Old High German. In the others, it was replaced almost entirely with the second weak class. However, the existence of a few relic verbs in Old English shows that this class, too, underwent an innovative extension to *-ējan in the northern languages before being eliminated.
- Old English: -ian (in a few cases; preceded by a palatalised consonant or non-backed æ)
- Old High German: -ēn
- Middle High German: -en
- German: -en
- Middle High German: -en