Where does “tau” come from?

tau (North Frisian) comes from Old Frisian twēne, from Proto-West Germanic twai-, from Proto-Germanic twai, from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ — two.

tau (North Frisian): two

Definitions

  1. two

Ancestry of “tau”, step by step

tau traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Frisian twēne

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frisiantwēnetwo
2Proto-West Germanictwai-two
3Proto-Germanictwaitwo
4Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two

via Proto-Germanic þwahaną

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicþwahanąto wash, bathe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ →Every word from Proto-Germanic twai →Every word from Proto-West Germanic twai- →
tau — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer