Where does “way” come from?

Way derives from Old English weġ, from Proto-Germanic wēgō, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ-, ultimately connected to the root meaning to move or convey.

way (English): "To do with a place or places."; A method or...

Definitions

  1. "To do with a place or places."; A method or...

Ancestry of “way”, step by step

way traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English way

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishway—
2Old Englishweġway; path; way, road, path
3Proto-West Germanicwegway, road
4Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport

via Middle English wey

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishweyAlternative form of whey

Words derived from “way”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wēgaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic weg →