Where does “où” come from?

où (French) comes from Middle French où, from Latin aut, from Proto-Italic *auti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ewti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ew, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe — Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact.

où (French): where; At that time; when; whither

Definitions

  1. where; At that time; when; whither

Ancestry of “où”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchoùwhere
2Latinautor
3Proto-Italic*autieither, or
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewtion the other hand
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewaway from, off; again
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanǵʰePostpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact

Words derived from “où”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ew →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ewti →