Where does “жито” come from?
жито (Old Church Slavonic) comes from Proto-Slavic žito, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *géiˀtan, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeyh₃tom, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeyh₃- — to live.
жито (Old Church Slavonic): grain
Ancestry of “жито”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | žito | grain, corn |
| 2 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | *géiˀtan | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeyh₃tom | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeyh₃- | to live |