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Just wondering how we got from message to messenger instead of message to *messager?

When and why did this happen with this word? I'm not really interested in the rule so this isn't a duplicate, more interested in this word specifically.

user1391445
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    Have you looked in an etymological dictionary, like Merriam-Webster, or http://etymonline.com/? – Matt Gutting Dec 01 '14 at 21:31
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    Perhaps it's the same "extraneous" /n/ as occurs in passage -> passenger – FumbleFingers Dec 01 '14 at 22:06
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    This question already has an answer. – tchrist Dec 01 '14 at 22:39
  • It's all good, this isn't really a duplicate since I'm asking about "messenger" not "passenger", more curious about this specific word and it's history than whatever rule is in place since the rules in english are pretty meaningless with all the exceptions. – user1391445 Dec 02 '14 at 22:02
  • I'm more curious as to why messenger falls into this intrusive pattern than the fact it does, so the "duplicate" and "accepted answer" doesn't really apply, can someone remove this as answered? Like at what point and why did this start showing up for this specific word? – user1391445 Dec 02 '14 at 22:05
  • Note that "messenger" and "messager" are two different words. The former is someone who carries a message, the latter someone who sends one. – Hot Licks Dec 02 '14 at 22:11

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Both messenger and passenger derive from Anglo-Norman French messager and passager. Those latter are also the standard modern French.

According to the OED etymology the 'intrusive n'before g is a late Middle English development in words such as messenger, passenger, harbinger, nightingale etc. See below:

The β forms show the common late Middle English development of an intrusive n before g (representing both /dʒ/ and /ɡ/ : see E. J. Dobson Eng. Pronunc. 1500–1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §438, and compare forms s.vv. passenger n., harbinger n., nightingale n.1), probably strongly reinforced by similar Anglo-Norman and Picard forms with -n- . Forms with ma- probably reflect Anglo-Norman massager (compare forms s.v. message n.); such forms continue to be found (chiefly in East Anglian texts) into the 16th cent.

WS2
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