Where does “if” come from?
if (Middle French) comes from Old French if, from Frankish īw, from Proto-Germanic īwaz, from Proto-Germanic īwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyHw-.
Ancestry of “if”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | if | yew; yew wood |
| 2 | Frankish | īw | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | īwaz | yew |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | īwō | yew |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *h₁eyHw- | — |