Where does “he” come from?
He derives from Middle English he, Old English hē, Proto-Germanic hiz, and Proto-Indo-European ḱe-, ḱe, kewk-, kew-, and -yós.
he (English): A male person or animal already known or implied;...
Definitions
- A male person or animal already known or implied;...
Ancestry of “he”, step by step
he traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English he
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | he | Third-person singular masculine pronoun: he; it;... |
| 2 | Old English | hē | hey |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *hiʀ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hīz | nominative plural masculine of *hiz; these, these... |
via Chinese 何
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 何 | — |