Where does “hī” come from?
hī (Middle High German) comes from Old High German hia, from Proto-Germanic hē₂r, from Proto-Indo-European ḱe, from Middle English kyt, from German kitt, from Old High German kuti, from Proto-West Germanic kwidu, from Proto-Germanic kweduz — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
Ancestry of “hī”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | hia | in this |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | hē₂r | here, in this place |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 4 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 5 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 6 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |