English word origin

Etymology of -k

From Middle English -ken, -kien, from Old English -cian, from Proto-West Germanic *-ukōn, *-ikōn, from Proto-Germanic *-ukōną, *-ikōną. Cognate with West Frisian -kje, German -chen, Danish -ke, Swedish -ka, Faroese -ka.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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

A suffix found in verbs of Middle English, Old English, usually with an intensive or frequentative effect.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mention-kenenm
Inherited-form mention-cianang
Inherited-form mention*-ukōngmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*-ukōnągem-pro
Cognate mention-kjefy
Cognate mention-chende
Cognate mention-keda
Cognate mention-kasv
Cognate mention-kafo

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-ken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ken"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-cian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -cian"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*-ukōn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *-ukōn"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*-ukōną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *-ukōną"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "-kje"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian -kje"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "-chen"
      },
      "expansion": "German -chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "-ke"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish -ke"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "-ka"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish -ka"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo",
        "2": "-ka"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese -ka"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ken",
      "-ken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-kien",
      "-kien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-cian",
      "-cian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*-ukōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-ukōn"
    ],
    [
      "*-ikōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-ikōn"
    ],
    [
      "*-ukōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ukōną"
    ],
    [
      "*-ikōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ikōną"
    ],
    [
      "-kje",
      "-kje#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "-chen",
      "-chen#German"
    ],
    [
      "-ke",
      "-ke#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "-ka",
      "-ka#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "-ka",
      "-ka#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "-uc",
      "-uc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-oc",
      "-oc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ock",
      "-ock#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "A suffix found in verbs of Middle English, Old English, usually with an intensive or frequentative effect."
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        "morpheme",
        "rare"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "a4a63681773b2983b6c08b9b0ad342d8ba45b25e904d822da30665037aeecac7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1886106
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

suffix

A suffix found in nouns, usually with a diminutive effect.

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

From Middle English -ke, from Old English -(u)c and -ca (diminutive suffix). More at -ock.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mention-keenm
Inherited-form mention-ucang

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-ke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ke"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-uc",
        "4": "-(u)c"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -(u)c"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ke",
      "-ke#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-(u)c",
      "-uc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ca",
      "-ca#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ock",
      "-ock#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "A suffix found in nouns, usually with a diminutive effect."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "morpheme",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "3c3d451e1123634d7216bd94ddb5cc81eb5fac50a3cb40cc4d09d90fd43b7406",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dd613a80110a60b4653e70398af41b06cfbe272d16f8a84ca9e99ef7f66bbb16",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1886107
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "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 -k →

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-LWs