Where does “إما” come from?

إما (Arabic) comes from Arabic مَا — that; not; what.

إما (Arabic): used for disjunction, both posited as equal alternatives, either … or, be it that, whether, may it be that, etc

Definitions

  1. used for disjunction, both posited as equal alternatives, either … or, be it that, whether, may it be that, etc

Ancestry of “إما”, step by step

إما traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Arabic مَا

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicمَاthat; not; what

via Arabic ـمَا

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicـمَاsoever

via Arabic ان

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1ArabicانSuffix used in forming intensive adjectives of...
Every word from Arabic مَا