*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ed

From Middle English -ede, -ed. During the Middle English period, this increasingly standard -ed ending largely absorbed the class 1 weak past ending (-de) through morphological leveling. However, many class 1 verbs resis

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
suffix

Used to form past tenses of (regular) verbs. In linguistics, it is used for the base form of any past form. See -t for a variant.

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

From Middle English -ede, -ed. During the Middle English period, this increasingly standard -ed ending largely absorbed the class 1 weak past ending (-de) through morphological leveling. However, many class 1 verbs resisted this leveling to become modern irregular verbs (such as kept and left). This resistance was driven by phonotactics: attaching the consonant suffix directly to the stem often triggered pre-cluster vowel shortening (and consonant devoicing) in Early Middle English, creating a stark vowel alternation between the present and past tense that anchored the irregular form. Conversely, verbs that lacked this stark alternation (such as deem, where the early past tense demde remained insufficiently distinct from the present stem) were highly vulnerable to leveling, adopting the syllabic -ed to ensure the past tense was clearly marked. In modern usage, this morphological leveling has proceeded further in American English than in British English, which frequently preserves the irregular -t variant for such verbs. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *-ōd-. Cognate with Saterland Frisian -ede (“-ed”, first person singular past indicative ending), Low German -de (“-ed”, first and third person singular past indicative ending), Dutch -d (“-ed”), German -t (“-ed”), Swedish -ade (“-ed”), Icelandic -aði (“-ed”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mention-edeenm
  • Inherited-form mention*-ōd-gem-pro
  • Cognate mention-edestq · -ed
  • Cognate mention-dends · -ed
  • Cognate mention-dnl · -ed
  • Cognate mention-tde · -ed
  • Cognate mention-adesv · -ed
  • Cognate mention-aðiis · -ed
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ede<id:past>",
        "id": "verb-past-tense"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-ode\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ede\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"verb-past-tense\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ed\" id=\"English:_verb-past-tense\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-ede",
        "id": "past"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ede"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*-ōd-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *-ōd-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "-ede",
        "t": "-ed",
        "pos": "first person singular past indicative ending"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian -ede (“-ed”, first person singular past indicative ending)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "-de",
        "t": "-ed",
        "pos": "first and third person singular past indicative ending"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German -de (“-ed”, first and third person singular past indicative ending)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "-d",
        "t": "-ed"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch -d (“-ed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "-t",
        "t": "-ed"
      },
      "expansion": "German -t (“-ed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "-ade",
        "t": "-ed"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish -ade (“-ed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "-aði",
        "t": "-ed"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic -aði (“-ed”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ede<id:past>",
        "id": "verb-past-tense"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ede",
      "-ede#Middle_English:_past"
    ],
    [
      "-ed",
      "-ed#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-de",
      "-de#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "deem",
      "deem#English"
    ],
    [
      "-t",
      "-t#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-ōd-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ōd-"
    ],
    [
      "-ede",
      "-ede#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "-de",
      "-de#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "-d",
      "-d#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "-t",
      "-t#German"
    ],
    [
      "-ade",
      "-ade#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "-aði",
      "-aði#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to form past tenses of (regular) verbs. In linguistics, it is used for the base form of any past form. See -t for a variant."
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        "morpheme"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
suffix

Used to form past participles of (regular) verbs. See -en and -t for variants.

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

From Middle English -ed, from the merger of Old English -od (class 2 weak past participle) and -ed (class 1 weak past participle), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz and *-idaz respectively. Cognate with Saterland Frisian -ed.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mention-edenm
  • Inherited-form mention-odang
  • Inherited-form mention*-ōdazgem-pro
  • Cognate mention-edstq
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ed<id:past participle>",
        "id": "past participle"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"collective nouns\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"collective nouns\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-h₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\", \"pos\" : \"suffix originally used to form collective nouns, extended in Late PIE to also be a marker of feminine gender\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"ine-pro\", \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"pos\" : \"suffix\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-eh₂tos\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ōdaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-od\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"past participle\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ed\" id=\"English:_past_participle\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-ed"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ed"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-od",
        "pos": "class 2 weak past participle"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -od (class 2 weak past participle)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*-ōdaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "-ed"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian -ed"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ed<id:past participle>",
        "id": "past participle"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ed",
      "-ed#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-od",
      "-od#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ed",
      "-ed#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*-ōdaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ōdaz"
    ],
    [
      "*-idaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-idaz"
    ],
    [
      "-ed",
      "-ed#Saterland_Frisian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to form past participles of (regular) verbs. See -en and -t for variants."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "1c49a2716c3d7e4f93869b21994ef61f2e5c1192756c3dd86f6b2e2c4616a012",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 187241
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
suffix

Used to form possessional adjectives from nouns, in the sense of having the object represented by the noun. · As an extension of the above, used to form possessional adjectives from adjective-noun pairs.

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

From Middle English -ed, from Old English -od (adjective suffix), from Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos. While identical in appearance to the past participle of class 2 weak verbs, this suffix was attached directly to nouns without any intervening verb. Cognate with Latin -ātus (whence also a doublet -ate), Proto-Slavic *-atъ.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mention-edenm
  • Inherited-form mention-odang
  • Inherited-form mention*-ōdazgem-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*-eh₂tosine-pro
  • Cognate mention-ātusla
  • Cognate mention*-atъsla-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ed<id:past participle>",
        "id": "adjective"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"collective nouns\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"collective nouns\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-h₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\", \"pos\" : \"suffix originally used to form collective nouns, extended in Late PIE to also be a marker of feminine gender\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"ine-pro\", \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"pos\" : \"suffix\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-eh₂tos\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ōdaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-od\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"adjective\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ed\" id=\"English:_adjective\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-ed"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ed"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-od",
        "4": "",
        "pos": "adjective suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -od (adjective suffix)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*-ōdaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*-eh₂tos"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "-ātus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -ātus"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "doublet"
      },
      "expansion": "doublet"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sla-pro",
        "2": "*-atъ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Slavic *-atъ"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ed<id:past participle>",
        "id": "adjective"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ed",
      "-ed#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-od",
      "-od#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*-ōdaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ōdaz"
    ],
    [
      "*-eh₂tos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-eh₂tos"
    ],
    [
      "-ātus",
      "-atus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-ate",
      "-ate#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-atъ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-atъ"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to form possessional adjectives from nouns, in the sense of having the object represented by the noun.",
        "As an extension of the above, used to form possessional adjectives from adjective-noun pairs."
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        "morpheme"
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}

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 -ed →

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-LWVk