Where does “ah” come from?

ah (Middle English) comes from Old English ēa, from Proto-West Germanic ahu, from Proto-Germanic ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

Ancestry of “ah”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishēaflowing water, stream, river; water; river,...
2Proto-West Germanicahuriver
3Proto-Germanicahwōwater; stream, river
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “ah

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂