Where does “to” come from?
To comes from Old English tō, from Latin te, from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ-, meaning to point or show.
to (English): A particle used for marking the following verb as...
Definitions
- A particle used for marking the following verb as...
Ancestry of “to”, step by step
to traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English to
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | to | toe; to; too |
| 2 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 3 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |