Where does “so” come from?
so (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch sō, from Proto-West Germanic swā, from Proto-Germanic swa, from Proto-Germanic swē, from Proto-Indo-European swē.
Ancestry of “so”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | sō | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | swā | so, thus, in this manner; like, similar to; just... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | swa | so, thus, in this manner |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | swē | like, similar to; just like, in the same manner... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | swē | — |