Where does “of” come from?

of (Low German) comes from Middle Low German af, from Old Saxon af, from Proto-Germanic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European apó.

of (Low German): from

Definitions

  1. from

Ancestry of “of”, step by step

of traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Low German af

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanaf—
2Old Saxonafof; out
3Proto-Germanic*ab—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanapó—

via Old Saxon eftha

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonefthaor
2Proto-Germanicefþauor
Every word from Proto-Indo-European apó →Every word from Proto-Germanic *ab →Every word from Old Saxon af →