Where does “of” come from?

Of comes from Old English of, which derives from Old English oþ, both tracing back through Proto-Indo-European h₂epo and ultimately to Proto-Indo-European h₁ey-.

of (English): API; Expressing distance or motion; "Expressing...

Definitions

  1. API; Expressing distance or motion; "Expressing...

Ancestry of “of”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishofof; off; until
2Old Englishofof, from, off, out of
3Old Englishæfof
4Proto-Germanic*ab—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanapó—

Words derived from “of”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European apó →Every word from Proto-Germanic *ab →Every word from Old English æf →