Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian -and , Old Dutch -and (Middle Dutch -ant ), Old Saxon -and (Middle Low German -and , -ant ), Old High German -ant (Middle High German -ant , German -and ), Old Icelandic -andi , Gothic -ands < the same Germanic base as Old English -ende , the ending of the present participle (see -ing suffix²).In the Germanic languages the suffix is productive only in the oldest stages, tending to be replaced in all surviving languages in later use by reflexes of the Germanic base of -er suffix¹; the speed of this process varies in the different languages, e.g. in Old High German the suffix is already restricted to only a few fossilized forms (as heilant (Middle High German heilant , German Heiland healend n.)), whereas in Old Saxon and Old English it remains flourishing. A very productive suffix in Old English, forming nouns from verbs, chiefly agent nouns (as biddend petitioner, helpend helpend n., lǣrend teacher, scieppend sheppend n.), but also (less commonly) objective or instrumental nouns (as gehæftend prisoner, bīecniend forefinger). Although some of the more common nouns survive into Middle English, the suffix has by this time ceased to be productive (largely superseded in function by -er suffix¹).

Etymology: < classical Latin -endus (masculine), -enda (feminine), -endum (neuter), ending of the gerundive of verbs in -ēre and -ere . Examples are agend n., dividend n., minuend n., repetend n., reverend n., subtrahend n. The meaning of these words is passive, thus agend n. ‘that which is to be done’. Like -and suffix² this element has never been a living suffix, having no separate existence apart from the Latin gerundive form from which it is derived. The gerundial endings are sometimes retained in their Latin (neuter) form (with plural -a ), as in addendum n., agendum n., corrigendum n., reddendum n., referendum n.