Where does “dat” come from?
dat (Dutch Low Saxon) comes from Old Saxon that, from Proto-Germanic þat, from Proto-Indo-European tód, from Proto-Indo-European to-, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.
dat (Dutch Low Saxon): the; that; which, that
Ancestry of “dat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | that | nominative/accusative singular neuter of thē |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | þat | nominative/accusative singular neuter of *sa |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | tód | demonstrative pronoun; that; it |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | to- | it; that; the, that |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |