Where does “jein” come from?

jein (German) comes from German Ja, from Middle High German ja, from Old High German jā, from Proto-West Germanic jā, from Proto-Germanic ja, from Proto-Indo-European yē — already.

jein (German): yes and no; yes, but…

Definitions

  1. yes and no; yes, but…

Ancestry of “jein”, step by step

jein traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Ja

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanJaa yes
2Middle High Germanja—
3Old High Germanjā—
4Proto-West Germanicjāyes; thus, so
5Proto-Germanicjayes; thus, so
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyēalready

via German nein

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanneinno
2Middle High Germannein—
3Germanni ein—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yē →