Where does “nîe” come from?
nîe (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon niuwi, from Proto-West Germanic niwi, from Proto-Germanic *niwjaz, from Proto-Indo-European néwyos, from Proto-Indo-European néwos, from Proto-Indo-European new- — new; to nod, assent to.
Ancestry of “nîe”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | niuwi | new; newness |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | niwi | new |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *niwjaz | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | néwyos | Alternative form of *néwos; new |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néwos | new |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | new- | new; to nod, assent to |