Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Chu” come from?

Chu is an English word derived from Mandarin 楚, whose original meaning is unknown.

Ancestry of “Chu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishYouHonorific alternative letter-case form of you,...
2Middle EnglishyowSecond-person plural object pronoun: you;...
3Old EnglishēowWo!, Alas!; sheep
4Proto-West Germaniciwwiz—
5Proto-Germanicizwizaccusative/dative/instrumental of *jūz
6Proto-Germanic*jūz—
7Proto-Indo-Europeantúh₂you, thou
Every word from Proto-Indo-European túh₂ →