Where does “alse” come from?
alse (Middle High German) comes from Old High German sō, from Proto-West Germanic swā, from Proto-Germanic swa, from Proto-Germanic swē, from Proto-Indo-European swē — self (reflexive pronoun).
Ancestry of “alse”, step by step
alse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old High German sō
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | sō | so, like that, in that manner |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | swā | so, thus, in this manner; like, similar to; just... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | swa | so, thus, in this manner |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | swē | like, similar to; just like, in the same manner... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | swē | self (reflexive pronoun) |