Where does “ee” come from?
ee (Middle English) comes from Old English ēa, from Proto-West Germanic ahu, from Proto-Germanic ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.
ee (Middle English): Alternative form of æ
Ancestry of “ee”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | ēa | flowing water, stream, river; water; river,... |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | ahu | river |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | ahwō | water; stream, river |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |