Where does “ea” come from?

Ea comes from Old English ǣ, from Proto-Germanic ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ekʷeh₂, a root denoting water or flowing water.

ea (English): A river or watercourse; Alternative form of ea

Definitions

  1. A river or watercourse; Alternative form of ea

Ancestry of “ea”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglisheeAlternative form of æ
2Old Englishēaflowing water, stream, river; water; river,...
3Proto-West Germanicahuriver
4Proto-Germanicahwōwater; stream, river
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic ahwō →Every word from Proto-West Germanic ahu →