Where does “de” come from?

de (Danish) comes from Old Danish thē, from Old Norse þeir, from Proto-Germanic þai, from Proto-Indo-European to-, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.

de (Danish): plural definite article; they; those

Definitions

  1. plural definite article; they; those

Ancestry of “de”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Danishthē—
2Old Norseþeirthose; they
3Proto-Germanicþaithey; those; nominative plural masculine of *sa
4Proto-Indo-Europeanto-it; that; the, that
5Proto-Indo-Europeansóthis; that
Every word from Proto-Indo-European só →Every word from Proto-Indo-European to- →Every word from Proto-Germanic þai →