Where does “da” come from?
da (German) comes from Middle High German dā, from Old High German dār, from Proto-Germanic þar, from Proto-Indo-European tar-, from Proto-Indo-European to-, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.
Ancestry of “da”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | dā | — |
| 2 | Old High German | dār | there |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | þar | there, in that place |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | tar- | there |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | to- | it; that; the, that |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |