Etymograph

English

inner

Inner comes from Old English innera, the comparative of in ‘in’, from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én ‘in’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁én‘in’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*in‘in’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘in’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150in‘in’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150innera‘inner’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500inner
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1921same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁én‘in’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*in‘in’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘in’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150in‘in’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150innera‘inner’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500inner
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1921same form

Earliest quotation: 1921, Ben Travers, Garden City: “Mother[…]considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁en

enter, introduce, interior, intro, 1 more

through Old English inne ‘within’

inmost

Today it means

adj Being or occurring (farther) inside, situated farther in, located (situated) or happening on the inside of something, situated within or farther within contained within something.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁én / inner

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