Where does “it” come from?
It comes from Middle English hit, from Old English hit, from Proto-Germanic hit, from Proto-Indo-European ḱe-, a demonstrative pronoun meaning "this" or "that."
it (English): The third-person singular personal pronoun that...
Definitions
- The third-person singular personal pronoun that...
Ancestry of “it”, step by step
it traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English hit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hit | Third-person singular neuter pronoun: it;... |
| 2 | Old English | hit | it |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hit | nominative/accusative singular neuter of *hiz |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe- | demonstrative particle; here; this, here |
via Middle English it
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | it | Alternative form of hit |