Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Way” come from?

Way comes from Old English weġ, from Proto-Germanic wēgō, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ-, meaning to move or convey, with connections to ǵʰengʰ-.

Ancestry of “Way”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishway—
2Old Englishweġway; path; way, road, path
3Proto-West Germanicwegway, road
4Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- →