*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ast

From Latin -asta, from Ancient Greek -αστής (-astḗs), from -άζω (-ázō, verbal suffix) + -τής (-tḗs, agent-noun suffix).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

someone associated with something

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin -asta, from Ancient Greek -αστής (-astḗs), from -άζω (-ázō, verbal suffix) + -τής (-tḗs, agent-noun suffix).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:-asta"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-asta\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ast\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ast\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-asta"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -asta"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "-αστής"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek -αστής (-astḗs)"
    },
    {
      "name": "affix",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "-άζω",
        "3": "-τής",
        "pos1": "verbal suffix",
        "pos2": "agent-noun suffix",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "-άζω (-ázō, verbal suffix) + -τής (-tḗs, agent-noun suffix)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:-asta"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-asta",
      "-asta#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-αστής",
      "-αστής#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "-άζω",
      "-άζω#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "-τής",
      "-τής#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "someone associated with something"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "4f550d7d04893872a52f4fe57056e1a2ca5990d0f5babc8ea0b17935752f9b87",
      "rawRecordSha256": "180a9917df617556bff5f8e7b0e42c42a31ed61e65ecfa648c3d5a6fd06564ec",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 284758
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -ast →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWFzdA