Where does “اي” come from?

اي (Khowar) comes from Middle Persian ʾy, from Proto-Iranian Háywah, from Proto-Indo-Iranian Háywas, from Proto-Indo-European óynos — one; single.

Ancestry of “اي”, step by step

اي traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Persian ʾy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Persianʾy—
2Proto-IranianHáywahone
3Proto-Indo-IranianHáywasjust, only; one
4Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single

via Arabic أَيّ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicأَيّ—

via Proto-Semitic *ʔayy-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Semitic*ʔayy-Used to form questions: which, what, when, where, how, etc

Words derived from “اي”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European óynos →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian Háywas →Every word from Proto-Iranian Háywah →