Where does “yeah-huh” come from?
yeah-huh (English) comes from English yeah, from English yea, from Middle English yë, from Old English ġē, from Proto-Germanic jahw, from Proto-Germanic -hw, from Proto-Germanic -hwe, from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe — and; Forms distributives from interrogatives.
yeah-huh (English): Yes
Definitions
- Yes
Ancestry of “yeah-huh”, step by step
yeah-huh traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English yeah
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | yeah | Yes; Expressing joy, celebration, glee, etc;... |
| 2 | English | yea | Yes; Thus, so; Or even, or more like, nay |
| 3 | Middle English | yë | Alternative form of eie |
| 4 | Old English | ġē | ye |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | jahw | and, also |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -hw | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -hwe | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -kʷe | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |
via English uh-huh
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | uh-huh | yes; yeah |