Where does “could've” come from?

could've (English) comes from English could, from English ICH, from English ichthyophthiriasis, from English Ichthyophthirius, from Ancient Greek ἰχθύς, from Ancient Greek ἀετός, from Proto-Hellenic ayyetós, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ewyetós — bird.

could've (English): Contraction of could have

Definitions

  1. Contraction of could have

Ancestry of “could've”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishcouldsimple past tense of can; conditional of can;...
2EnglishICHInitialism of intracranial hemorrhage; Initialism...
3EnglishichthyophthiriasisA parasitic infection of freshwater fish caused...
4EnglishIchthyophthirius
5Ancient Greekἰχθύςfish
6Ancient Greekἀετόςeagle; the constellation Aquila; omen
7Proto-Hellenicayyetós
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewyetós
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éwisbird
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwis