Where does “essayeth” come from?

essayeth (English) comes from English essay, from Middle French essai, from Old French essai, from Late Latin exagium, from Latin exigō, from Latin agō, from Proto-Italic agō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti — to drive.

essayeth (English): Third-person singular simple present indicative...

Definitions

  1. Third-person singular simple present indicative...

Ancestry of “essayeth”, step by step

essayeth traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English essay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishessayA written composition of moderate length,...
2Middle Frenchessaiessay; attempt, assay; essay
3Old Frenchessaitrial
4Late Latinexagiumweight; weighing, testing on the balance;...
5Latinexigōto drive out; expel
6Latinagōto act, to behave
7Proto-Italicagōdrive; push, impel; do, act
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éǵetito be driving
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive

via English eth

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishethA letter introduced into Old English to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ-