ABSTRACT
21.11. -an [-(ə)n], from the Latin adjectival suffix -anus, was first borrowed through French in the form -ain or -en (after i) in ME times (Christian had been introduced with Christianity and is recorded from OE in the form cristen, preserved in Christendom), but later it was adjusted to the Latin spelling, which is now used in all words adopted from the Romanic languages or coined in English.
