Where does “وَلی” come from?

وَلی (Classical Persian) comes from Arabic ولكن, from Arabic وَ, from Semitic *wa.

Ancestry of “وَلی”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicولكنbut, however
2Arabicوَand
3Semitic*wa—
Every word from Semitic *wa →Every word from Arabic وَ →Every word from Arabic ولكن →
وَلی — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer