Where does “out there” come from?

out there (English) comes from English there, from Old English þær, from Proto-West Germanic þār, from Proto-Germanic þar, from Proto-Indo-European tar-, from Proto-Indo-European to-, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.

out there (English): Extreme; crazy, nutty, loony

Definitions

  1. Extreme; crazy, nutty, loony

Ancestry of “out there”, step by step

out there traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English there

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthereIn a place or location at some distance from the...
2Old Englishþærthere
3Proto-West Germanicþārthere
4Proto-Germanicþarthere, in that place
5Proto-Indo-Europeantar-there
6Proto-Indo-Europeanto-it; that; the, that
7Proto-Indo-Europeansóthis; that

via English out

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoutAway from the inside, centre or other point of...
2Middle Englishouteout
3Old Englishūtout
4Proto-West Germanic*ūtout, outward
5Proto-Germanicūtout, outward
6Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward
Every word from Proto-Indo-European só →Every word from Proto-Indo-European to- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European tar- →