-ot (Polish)

Where does "-ot" come from?

The Polish suffix -ot descends from the Proto-Slavic *-otъ, which itself traces back to the Proto-Indo-European verbal adjective suffix *-tós. Over time, its function shifted from creating adjectives to forming masculine nouns in Polish, specifically those that characterize distinct sounds.

Full etymology tree

• -ot (Polish), 'forms masculine nouns, typically sounds'
  • inherited *-otъ (Proto-Slavic), 'Forms resultant nouns from verbs, adjectives, or nouns'
    • derived *-tós (Proto-Indo-European), 'Creates verbal adjectives from verb roots.'

Ancestors

• *-otъ (Proto-Slavic)

Updated June 2026

More words starting with O

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris