Where does “no” come from?
no (English) comes from Middle English no, from Old English nā, from Old English ne, from Old English ealles, from Old English -es, from Proto-Germanic -as, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
Ancestry of “no”, step by step
no traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English no
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | no | no |
| 2 | Old English | nā | no |
| 3 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 4 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 5 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |