Where does “eye” come from?
Eye comes from Middle English eye, Old English eġe, Proto-Germanic augô, and Proto-Indo-European h₃ekʷ-, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root h₂egʰ- meaning to see or perceive.
eye (English): An organ through which animals see; The visual...
Definitions
- An organ through which animals see; The visual...
Ancestry of “eye”, step by step
eye traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English eye
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | eye | awe, reverence, worshipfulness; horror, panic;... |
| 2 | Old English | eġe | fear |
| 3 | Old English | ēage | eye |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | augā | eye |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | augô | eye |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |
via Middle English yë
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | yë | Alternative form of eie |
| 2 | Old English | ġē | ye |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | jahw | and, also |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -hw | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -hwe | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -kʷe | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |
via Middle English yȝe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | yȝe | Alternative form of eie |