Where does “five” come from?

five (Middle English) comes from Old English fīf, from Proto-West Germanic fimf, from Proto-Germanic fimf, from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe — five.

five (Middle English): five

Definitions

  1. five

Ancestry of “five”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfīffive
2Proto-West Germanicfimffive
3Proto-Germanicfimffive
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpénkʷefive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷeEvery word from Proto-Germanic fimfEvery word from Proto-West Germanic fimf