Where does “où” come from?

où (Middle French) comes from Latin aut, from Proto-Italic *auti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ewti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ew, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe — Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact.

où (Middle French): where

Definitions

  1. where

Ancestry of “où”, step by step

où traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin aut

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinautor
2Proto-Italic*autieither, or
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewtion the other hand
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewaway from, off; again
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanǵʰePostpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact

via Old French ou

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchouor; where
2Latinubīwhere? in what place?, in which place?
3Latincubī—
4Proto-Italic*kʷuðeiwhere

Words derived from “où”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ew →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ewti →