Where does “oe” come from?

Oe comes from Swedish ö, which derives from Old Irish úa and aue, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European h₂ekʷeh₂ and h₂ey-, roots associated with flowing water.

oe (English): A small island; A grandchild

Definitions

  1. A small island; A grandchild

Ancestry of “oe”, step by step

oe traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish ö

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishöisland
2Old Swedishøa letter of the Old Swedish alphabet, written in the Latin script
3Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
4Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ
5Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
6Proto-Germanicagwjō
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

via Scottish Gaelic ogha

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scottish Gaelicoghagrandchild; nephew
2Old Irisháuegrandson
3Primitive Irishᚐᚃᚔdescendant
4Proto-Celticawyos
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewh₂yosgrandfather

via Danish ø

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishøisland
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjōEvery word from Proto-Germanic awjō