Where does “aye” come from?

Aye comes from Middle English aye, from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Germanic awjō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂ey-.

aye (English): ever, always; yes; yea; a word expressing assent,...

Definitions

  1. ever, always; yes; yea; a word expressing assent,...

Ancestry of “aye”, step by step

aye traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English aye

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishayeAlternative form of ei
2Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
3Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ—
4Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
5Proto-Germanicagwjō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

via Middle English ai

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishaiAlternative form of þei

via Middle English aȝȝ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishaȝȝ—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →