Where does “yeah” come from?

Yeah is an informal variant of yes, both ultimately from Old English gēse, likely derived from a phrase meaning "may it be so."

yeah (English): Yes; Expressing joy, celebration, glee, etc;...

Definitions

  1. Yes; Expressing joy, celebration, glee, etc;...

Ancestry of “yeah”, step by step

yeah traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English yea

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishyeaYes; Thus, so; Or even, or more like, nay
2Middle EnglishyëAlternative form of eie
3Old Englishġēye
4Proto-Germanicjahwand, also
5Proto-Germanic-hwand; Forms distributives from interrogatives
6Proto-Germanic-hwe—
7Proto-Indo-European-kʷeand; Forms distributives from interrogatives

via English yes

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishyesUsed to show agreement or acceptance; Used to...
2Middle EnglishyesAlternative form of is; plural of ye; Alternative...
3Old Englishġīese"yes"; literally, "so be it"

Words derived from “yeah”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe →Every word from Proto-Germanic -hw →Every word from Proto-Germanic jahw →