Where does “é” come from?

é (Irish) comes from Old Irish é, from Proto-Indo-European éy, from Proto-Indo-European h₁e-.

é (Irish): he, him; it

Definitions

  1. he, him; it

Ancestry of “é”, step by step

é traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Irish é

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishéhe; it; they
2Proto-Indo-Europeanéythe; demonstrative pronoun; this one, he
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁e-—

via Latin ē

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinēScribal abbreviation of the diphthong ae

Words derived from “é”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁e- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European éy →Every word from Old Irish é →