Where does “ein paar” come from?

ein paar (German) comes from German paar, from Middle High German pâr, from Old High German par, from Latin pār, from Proto-Indo-European perH-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

ein paar (German): some; a few; a couple of

Definitions

  1. some; a few; a couple of

Ancestry of “ein paar”, step by step

ein paar traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German paar

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanpaarsome; few; a few
2Middle High Germanpâr—
3Old High Germanpar—
4Latinpāreven (of a number)
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanperH-to fly; fore, first; exchange
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via German ein

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germaneinone; a, an; indicating motion into something
2Middle High Germaneinone
3Old High Germaneinone; only
4Proto-West Germanicainone
5Proto-Germanicainazone; some
6Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →