Where does “a” come from?

a (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon aha, from Proto-West Germanic ahu, from Proto-Germanic ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

Ancestry of “a”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonahawater; running water, river, stream
2Proto-West Germanicahuriver
3Proto-Germanicahwōwater; stream, river
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “a”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic ahwō →Every word from Proto-West Germanic ahu →