Where does “'e's” come from?
'e's (English) comes from English 'e, from English he, from Middle English he, from Old English hē, from Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic hīz — nominative plural masculine of *hiz; these, these...
Ancestry of “'e's”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 'e | Pronunciation spelling of he |
| 2 | English | he | A male person or animal already known or implied;... |
| 3 | Middle English | he | Third-person singular masculine pronoun: he; it;... |
| 4 | Old English | hē | hey |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *hiʀ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hīz | nominative plural masculine of *hiz; these, these... |