Where does “nye” come from?

nye (Middle English) comes from Old English nēh, from Proto-Germanic nēhw, from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- — to reach, to attain.

Ancestry of “nye”, step by step

nye traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English nēh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishnēh—
2Proto-Germanicnēhwnear, close
3Proto-Germanicnēhwaznear, close
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂nḗḱwos—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂neḱ-to reach, to attain

via Old English nēah

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishnēahnigh, near; near
2Proto-West Germanic*nāhwnear, close
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwos →Every word from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz →