Where does “of” come from?

of (Old High German) comes from Old High German oba, from Proto-West Germanic *jabē, from Proto-Germanic jabai, from Proto-Indo-European ē- — then, at that time.

Ancestry of “of”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanobaabove; Alternative form of ibu
2Proto-West Germanic*jabē
3Proto-Germanicjabaiwhen, if
4Proto-Indo-Europeanē-then, at that time
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ē-Every word from Proto-Germanic jabaiEvery word from Proto-West Germanic *jabē
of — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer