Where does “je ne sais qua” come from?
je ne sais qua (English) comes from French quoi, from Latin quid, from Proto-Italic kʷid, from Proto-Indo-European kʷíd, from Proto-Indo-European kʷís, from Proto-Indo-European kʷi- — interrogative base.
je ne sais qua (English): Misspelling of je ne sais quoi
Definitions
- Misspelling of je ne sais quoi
Ancestry of “je ne sais qua”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | quoi | what; aught, anything, something; you know, like,... |
| 2 | Latin | quid | neuter nominative/accusative singular of quis;... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | kʷid | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷíd | neuter nominative/accusative singular of *kʷís |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷís | who, what; who, which, that; which, what |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷi- | interrogative base |