Etymology

-el

Today it means: Suffix forming nouns, originally denoting an instrument, from verbs, usually spelt -le except after n and e. Full definition →

Middle English -el ← Old English -el ← Proto-Germanic *-ilaz
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-el · suffix1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*-ilaz
  2. Old English · inherited from-el
  3. Middle English · inherited from-el
  4. English today-el

From Middle English -el, from Old English -el, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz.

-el · suffix2

  1. Latin · derived from-ellus
  2. Old French · derived from-el
  3. Old English · inherited from-el
  4. Middle English · inherited from-el
  5. English today-el

From Middle English -el, a merger of two suffixes: * Old English -el (diminutive suffix) * Old French -el (diminutive suffix), from Latin -ellus

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.