Where does “er” come from?
er (German) comes from Middle High German er, from Old High German ēr, from Proto-West Germanic iʀ, from Proto-Germanic jīz, from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs.
Ancestry of “er”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | er | — |
| 2 | Old High German | ēr | ore; brass; formerly, previously; early |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | iʀ | he, it |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | jīz | Alternative form of *jūz |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *yúHs | — |