Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “yiff” come from?

yiff (Middle English) comes from Old English ġif, from Proto-Germanic jabai, from Proto-Indo-European ē- — then, at that time.

yiff (Middle English): if; Alternative form of yiven

Definitions

  1. if; Alternative form of yiven

Ancestry of “yiff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishġifif
2Proto-Germanicjabaiwhen, if
3Proto-Indo-Europeanē-then, at that time
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ē- →