Where does “ay” come from?

ay (Middle English) comes from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

ay (Middle English): always, constantly, unceasingly; eternally, forever

Definitions

  1. always, constantly, unceasingly; eternally, forever

Ancestry of “ay”, step by step

ay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse ey

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
2Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ—
3Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
4Proto-Germanicagwjō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

via Old Norse ei

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseeiever; always, eternal
2Proto-Germanicaiwazlong time, age, eternity
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eyu-vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ey-vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning

Words derived from “ay”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →
ay — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer