Where does “aye” come from?

aye (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.

aye (Middle English): Alternative form of ei

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of ei

Ancestry of “aye”, step by step

aye 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 “aye”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →