Where does “西” come from?
西 (Chinese) comes from English West, from Middle English west, from Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr, from Proto-Germanic westrą, from Proto-Germanic westraz, from Proto-Indo-European wek(ʷ)speros, from Proto-Indo-European we-.
Ancestry of “西”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | West | Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie |
| 2 | Middle English | west | west; A location to the south; the south; The... |
| 3 | Old English | west | west |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *westr | western, westernly |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | westrą | west; west, westward |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | westraz | west, western |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wek(ʷ)speros | evening |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | we- | — |