Where does “eddy” come from?
eddy (Middle English) comes from Old English edēa, from Old English ed-, from Old Irish id-, from Proto-Germanic idi-, from Proto-Indo-European éti, from Proto-Indo-European h₁é, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe — Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact.
Ancestry of “eddy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | edēa | — |
| 2 | Old English | ed- | anew, again; against, backwards; turning |
| 3 | Old Irish | id- | him; it |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | idi- | again, anew; back, against |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | éti | beyond; over |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁é | and, then |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰe | Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact |