Where does “Kew” come from?
Kew comes from Middle English cayho, from Old French kai, a word of uncertain ultimate origin and meaning.
Kew (English): OS grid ref TQ1977
Definitions
- OS grid ref TQ1977
Ancestry of “Kew”, step by step
Kew traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English thank you
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thank you | An expression of gratitude or politeness in... |
| 2 | English | thank-you | An expression of gratitude; That expresses thanks |
| 3 | English | You | Honorific alternative letter-case form of you,... |
| 4 | Middle English | yow | Second-person plural object pronoun: you;... |
| 5 | Old English | ēow | Wo!, Alas!; sheep |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | iwwiz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | izwiz | accusative/dative/instrumental of *jūz |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *jūz | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | túh₂ | you, thou |
via Middle English Cayho
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Cayho | — |
| 2 | Old English | hōh | heel, hough; hill spur, promontory; promontory |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *hą̄h | heel |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hanhaz | heel |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱenk- | to hang |
via Taishanese 球
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taishanese | 球 | — |