Where does “ice” come from?
ice (Middle English) comes from Middle English is, from Old English īs, from Proto-West Germanic īs, from Proto-Germanic īsą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- — ice, frost.
ice (Middle English): Alternative form of is
Ancestry of “ice”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | is | ice; That which is short-lived like ice; icy... |
| 2 | Old English | īs | ice |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | īs | ice |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | īsą | ice |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁eyH- | ice, frost |