Where does “hey” come from?
Hey comes from French haie through Old English hē, ultimately from Proto-Germanic ahwō and Proto-Indo-European h₂ekʷeh₂, which also relates to Proto-Indo-European skek-.
hey (English): An exclamation to get attention; A protest or...
Definitions
- An exclamation to get attention; A protest or...
Ancestry of “hey”, step by step
hey traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via French haie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | haie | hedge; obstacle; hurdle |
| 2 | Middle French | haye | hedge |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | die haghe | the enclosure |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | haghe | Alternative spelling of hāge |
| 5 | Old Dutch | hago | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | hagō | enclosure, yard; pasture |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *hagô | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kagʰom | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kagʰ- | to take, seize |