Where does “жѩжда” come from?

жѩжда (Old Church Slavonic) comes from Proto-Slavic žęďa, from Proto-Slavic žędati, from Proto-Balto-Slavic gend-, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰedʰ- — to request, pray, ask for.

Ancestry of “жѩжда”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavicžęďathirst; craving, yearning, wish, desire
2Proto-Slavicžędatito wish, to desire
3Proto-Balto-Slavicgend-—
4Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰedʰ-to request, pray, ask for
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰedʰ- →Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic gend- →Every word from Proto-Slavic žędati →