Where does “ēi” come from?
ēi (Old Frisian) comes from Proto-Germanic *awi, from Proto-Germanic awiz, from French avis, from Middle French advis, from Dutch advies, from Middle Dutch avijs, from Old French avis, from Old French a.
Ancestry of “ēi”, step by step
ēi traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Proto-Germanic *awi
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | *awi | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | awiz | ewe; sheep in general |
| 3 | French | avis | opinion; piece of advice; notice |
| 4 | Middle French | advis | opinion |
| 5 | Dutch | advies | advice |
| 6 | Middle Dutch | avijs | — |
| 7 | Old French | avis | opinion |
| 8 | Old French | a | to; towards; belonging to |
| 9 | Latin | A | — |
| 10 | Etruscan | 𐌀 | and, also |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | ᾱ̔ | — |
| 12 | Phoenician | 𐤀 | ox; aleph; alef |
| 13 | Egyptian | 𓃾 | — |