Where does “they” come from?
They derives from English there, which comes from Proto-Germanic þai, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European to-, seh₁-, terp-, trep-, and terp-.
they (English): A group of people, animals, plants, or objects...
Definitions
- A group of people, animals, plants, or objects...
Ancestry of “they”, step by step
they traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English the'e
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | the'e | Pronunciation spelling of there |
| 2 | English | there | In a place or location at some distance from the... |
| 3 | Old English | þær | there |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þār | there |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þar | there, in that place |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tar- | there |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | to- | it; that; the, that |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |