Etymology Explorer › Middle Dutch

Where does “a” come from?

a (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

Ancestry of “a”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchā—
2Proto-Germanicahwōwater; stream, river
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “a”

  • a
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →