Where does “are” come from?
Are comes from French are, from Latin area meaning "open space," from Arabic بَان, from Old English bēon, from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- meaning "to grow" or "to be."
are (English): second-person singular simple present of be;...
Definitions
- second-person singular simple present of be;...
Ancestry of “are”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | aren | Plural present indicative form of been |
| 2 | Old English | earon | third-person plural simple present of wesan |
| 3 | Old English | bēon | to be, become |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bijōniz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bijǭ | bee |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰey- | bee |