Where does “sha'n't” come from?
Sha'n't is a contraction of English shall and English not, tracing through Middle English nat and Old English notu to Proto-Germanic skulaną and Proto-Indo-European roots newd-, kel-, and ne.
Ancestry of “sha'n't”, step by step
sha'n't traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Not
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Not | — |
| 2 | Middle English | not | not; nothing, nought; nobody, no person |
| 3 | Middle English | nought | nothing, none; not; iniquitous, wicked |
| 4 | Old English | nōwiht | — |
| 5 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 6 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 7 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |
via English shall
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shall | "I shall sing in the choir tomorrow"; "I hope... |
| 2 | Middle English | schal | — |
| 3 | Old English | sċeal | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skulan | to owe, to be obliged |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skulaną | to owe; to be obliged to, have to; shall, will,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱel- | to be obligated, owe |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₁- | to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot |