Where does “ei” come from?

ei (Limburgish) comes from Middle Dutch ei, from Old Dutch ei, from Proto-West Germanic aij, from English ice, from Middle English is, from Old English īs, from Proto-West Germanic īs, from Proto-Germanic īsą — ice, frost.

ei (Limburgish): egg

Definitions

  1. egg

Ancestry of “ei”, step by step

ei traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Dutch ei

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutcheiegg
2Old Dutchei
3Proto-West Germanicaijegg
4EnglishiceWater in frozen form; Any frozen volatile...
5Middle Englishisice; That which is short-lived like ice; icy...
6Old Englishīsice
7Proto-West Germanicīsice
8Proto-Germanicīsąice
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁eyH-ice, frost

via Proto-West Germanic ain

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicainone
2Proto-Germanicainazone; some
3Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH-
ei — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer