Where does “Yoruban” come from?

Yoruban (English) comes from English ān, from Middle English ān, from Old English ān, from Proto-West Germanic ain, from Proto-Germanic ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European óynos — one; single.

Yoruban (English): A member of the Yoruba people

Definitions

  1. A member of the Yoruba people

Ancestry of “Yoruban”, step by step

Yoruban traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ān

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishān
2Middle Englishāna, an indefinite article
3Old Englishānlonely; entirely alone, solitary, single; one
4Proto-West Germanicainone
5Proto-Germanicainazone; some
6Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single

via English yorùbá

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishyorùbáA member of an ethnic group or tribe living mainly in southwest Nigeria, southern Benin, and eastern Togo and, as well as in communities elsewhere in West Africa, United States, Brazil and Cuba
2YorubaYorùbáYoruba
Every word from Proto-Indo-European óynosEvery word from Proto-Germanic ainazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic ain