Where does “yes” come from?

yes (Asturian) comes from Asturian ser, from Late Latin essere, from Latin sūm, from Proto-Italic ezom, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs- — to be.

yes (Asturian): second-person singular present indicative of ser

Definitions

  1. second-person singular present indicative of ser

Ancestry of “yes”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Asturianserto be; being
2Late Latinessere—
3Latinsūmto be, exist
4Proto-Italicezomto be
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ésmifirst-person singular present indicative of...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ēs-to be
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi →Every word from Proto-Italic ezom →