even-

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*ebnaz“equal, even”
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*ebna-“like-, level, equal-”
3. Old English · inherited fromefn-“equal, fellow-, co-”
4. Middle English · inherited fromeven-
5. English todayeven-

From Middle English even-, efen-, from Old English efn- (“equal, fellow-, co-”), from Proto-West Germanic *ebna- (“like-, level, equal-”, prefix/combining form), from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz (“equal, even”); same as Old English efn (“equal, even, level”). More at even. Cognate with Scots evin- (“equal-”), Old Frisian ivin-, evn- (“even-”), Dutch even-, Old High German eban- (“even-”).

Words from the same roots