Etymograph

English

ending

Ending comes from Old English endung, from endian ‘to end’ + -ung, from Proto-Germanic *andijaz ‘end’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- ‘face, front’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ent-1‘face’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂entíos2‘front’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*andijaz3‘end’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*andijōną4‘to end’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*andijōn4‘to end’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150endian5‘to end’
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150endung6
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500endynge6
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1968ending6

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂entíos
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *andijaz
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *andijōną
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Old English endian
  5. 5 Wiktionary, Old English endung
  6. 6 Wiktionary, English ending
  7. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1968, Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces: “Modern romance, like Greek tragedy, celebrates the mystery of…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ent-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂entíos‘face’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂entíosWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *andijaz‘front’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*andijazWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *andijōną‘end’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*andijōnąWiktionary, Old English endian‘to end’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*andijōnWiktionary, Old English endian‘to end’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150endianWiktionary, Old English endung‘to end’
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150endungWiktionary, English ending
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500endyngeWiktionary, English ending
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1968endingWiktionary, English ending. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1968, Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces: “Modern romance, like Greek tragedy, celebrates the mystery of…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with ending, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- ‘face, forehead’

  • and ← *andi ← *andi ← *h₂énti ← *h₂énts
  • answer ← answere ← andswaru ← swaru
  • ancient ← auncyen ← ancien ← *anteānus ← ante
  • antique ← antic ← antiquus ← ante ← *anti
  • ante ← *anti ← *h₂énti

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂entíos ‘front, forehead, end’

  • endlessly ← endelesly ← endelēaslīċe ← endelēas ← *andijalausaz

through Proto-Germanic *andijaz ‘end’

  • end ← ende ← ende ← *andī
  • endless ← endeles ← endelēas ← *andijalausaz

through Old English endian ‘to end’

  • ender ← endere ← enden

17 more relatives in the full family tree

No ads, ever.

Become a founding member, $29 onceI have a code

Explore everything descended from *h₂ent- →

No ads, ever. This is how the app stays alive.

Become a founding member, $29 onceWear this word, $32Support the app

Today it means

noun A termination or conclusion.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ending”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₂entíos, Proto-Germanic *andijaz, Proto-Germanic *andijōną, Old English endian, Old English endung. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- / ending