Where does “em” come from?

em (Old Danish) comes from Old Norse ef, from Proto-Germanic jabai, from Proto-Indo-European ē- — then, at that time.

Ancestry of “em”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseefif
2Proto-Germanicjabaiwhen, if
3Proto-Indo-Europeanē-then, at that time
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ē-Every word from Proto-Germanic jabaiEvery word from Old Norse ef
em — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer