Where does “ki-” come from?

ki- (Esperanto) comes from French qui, from Middle French qui, from Old French qui, from Latin quī, from Latin -cumque, from Latin cumque, from Latin cum, from Old Latin com — resin, gum; to say, speak.

ki- (Esperanto): wh-, what

Definitions

  1. wh-, what

Ancestry of “ki-”, step by step

ki- traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French qui

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchquiwho, whom
2Middle Frenchquiwho; which
3Old Frenchquiwho
4Latinquīwho, that, which, what
5Latin-cumqueUsed to derive indefinite adjectives, adverbs and...
6Latincumquehowever, whenever, howsoever, whensoever
7Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
8Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
9Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
11Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
12Middle Englishkyt
13Germankittputty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes
14Old High Germankuti
15Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
16Proto-Germanickweduzresin
17Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak

via Italian ché

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1ItalianchéClipping of perché., comparable to 'cause in...
2Latinquodnominative neuter singular of quī; accusative...
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷódwhat

Words derived from “ki-

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷet-Every word from Proto-Germanic kweduzEvery word from Proto-West Germanic kwidu