Where does “du” come from?

du (German) comes from Middle High German du, from Old High German dū, from Proto-West Germanic þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European túh₂ — you, thou.

du (German): you

Definitions

  1. you

Ancestry of “du”, step by step

du traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle High German du

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanduyou thou, singular familiar
2Old High Germandūthou, you second-person singular pronoun
3Proto-West Germanicþūyou
4Proto-Germanic*þū—
5Proto-Indo-Europeantúh₂you, thou

via Middle High German duo

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanduothen, at that time
2Middle High Germandōthen, at that time in the past

via Middle High German dū

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germandūyou thou, singular familiar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European túh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic *þū →Every word from Proto-West Germanic þū →