*-ô^¹

From the nominative singular of the Proto-Indo-European individualizing n-stem suffix *-ō(n), with oblique forms with ablauting *-on-, *-en-, and zero-grade *-n-. Originally the suffix formed nouns denoting an individual characterized by the base, especially from adjectives and participles. Secondarily it formed nouns from other nouns with the sense ‘one belonging to, associated with X’ (Pronk 2015: 327–28). This became a masculine an-stem suffix in PGmc that had *-ô in the nominative singular, and oblique forms of *–an– and *–in– (Fulk 2018: 168–71). Most PGmc masculine n-stems continue PIE amphikinetic n-stems, in which ablaut and accent alternated between root, suffix, and ending (Kroonen 2011a: 28–29). The root ablaut was mostly lost in the daughter Germanic languages, but there are still some remnants left in the form of fossilized doublets or split-off forms; for example the -o- in Modern English "corn" and the -e- in Modern German Kern. The suffixal ablaut is still observable within the PGmc declension itself, specifically in the alternation *-ô ~ *-an- ~ *-in-. When the zero-grade *-n- occurred immediately after a root-final obstruent, Kluge's Law may have resulted in consonant gradation, which has made it more difficult to see the original paradigm (Kroonen 2011a: 78–80, 174). The PGmc n-stem is cognate with other IE individualizing n-stems, including Ancient Greek -ων ~ ωνος (-ōn ~ -ōnos), Latin -ō ~ -ōnis, and Sanskrit -अन् (-an-)with nom. sg. -आ (-ā), gen. sg. -नः (-naḥ).