Where does “at” come from?
at (Old Danish) comes from Old Norse át, from Proto-Germanic at, from Proto-Germanic ētą, from Proto-Germanic etaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₁édti, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- — to eat.
Ancestry of “at”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | át | the act of eating; food; first-person singular... |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | at | at, toward, to |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | ētą | the act of eating; food |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | etaną | to eat |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁édti | to eat |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ed- | to eat |