Where does “there” come from?
there (Middle English) comes from Old English þēr, from Proto-Germanic þar, from Proto-Indo-European tar-, from Proto-Indo-European to-, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.
there (Middle English): Alternative form of þeir
Ancestry of “there”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | þēr | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | þar | there, in that place |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | tar- | there |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | to- | it; that; the, that |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |
Words derived from “there”