Where does “yr” come from?

yr (English) comes from Old English yr, from Old Norse ýr, from Proto-Germanic īhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyHw- — yew.

yr (English): Abbreviation of year; Abbreviation of your

Definitions

  1. Abbreviation of year; Abbreviation of your

Ancestry of “yr”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishyrthe runic letter ᚣ
2Old Norseýrbow, yew; yew, a bow, the runic letter ᛦ
3Proto-Germanicīhwazyew; name of the I-rune
4Proto-Indo-European*h₁eyHw-yew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyHw- →Every word from Proto-Germanic īhwaz →Every word from Old Norse ýr →