Where does “i-” come from?

i- (English) comes from Middle English y-, from Old English ġe-, from Proto-West Germanic ga-, from Proto-Germanic ga-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm, from Proto-Indo-European ḱe, from Middle English kyt, from German kitt — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

i- (English): Alternative spelling of y-; API; A form of the...

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of y-; API; A form of the...

Ancestry of “i-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishy-Used with past participle conjugations to form...
2Old Englishġe-used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating completeness or perfection
3Proto-West Germanicga-used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating...
4Proto-Germanicga-Indicates association or togetherness; co-;...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
7Middle Englishkyt
8Germankittputty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes
9Old High Germankuti
10Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
11Proto-Germanickweduzresin
12Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
13Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “i-

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū-