Where does “iff” come from?

iff (English) comes from English IF, from Middle English if, from Old English ġif, from Proto-Germanic jabai, from Proto-Indo-European ē- — then, at that time.

iff (English): If ad only if; used to show that the truth values...

Definitions

  1. If ad only if; used to show that the truth values...

Ancestry of “iff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishIFInitialism of interactive fiction; Initialism of...
2Middle Englishifif, on condition that
3Old Englishġifif
4Proto-Germanicjabaiwhen, if
5Proto-Indo-Europeanē-then, at that time
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ē- →Every word from Proto-Germanic jabai →Every word from Old English ġif →
iff — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer