Where does “si” come from?
si (Middle English) comes from Italian sì, from Italian bene, from Latin bene, from Latin bonus, from Old Latin duenos, from Proto-Italic dwenos, from Proto-Indo-European dew- — to show favour, revere; to fail, to lag, to be...
Ancestry of “si”, step by step
si traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian sì
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | sì | yes; so |
| 2 | Italian | bene | upper-class, posh, high; well, nicely, OK, right;... |
| 3 | Latin | bene | well; properly, exactly; agreeably, favorably |
| 4 | Latin | bonus | good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant;... |
| 5 | Old Latin | duenos | Alternative form of duonus |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | dwenos | good |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dew- | to show favour, revere; to fail, to lag, to be... |