Etymology Explorer › Danish

Where does “the” come from?

the (Danish) comes from Danish te, from Dutch thee, from Malay teh, from Malay putih, from Classical Malay putih, from Proto-Malayic putih, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)putiq — white.

the (Danish): Alternative spelling of te

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of te

Ancestry of “the”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishtetea; behave
2Dutchtheetea
3Malaytehtea
4Malayputihwhite
5Classical Malayputihwhite
6Proto-Malayicputih—
7Proto-Malayo-Polynesian(ma-)putiqwhite
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)putiq →