Where does “é” come from?

é (Old Irish) comes from Proto-Indo-European éy, from Proto-Indo-European h₁e-.

é (Old Irish): he; it; they

Definitions

  1. he; it; they

Ancestry of “é”, step by step

é traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Indo-European éy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Indo-Europeanéythe; demonstrative pronoun; this one, he
2Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁e-—

via Proto-Celtic ēs

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Celticēshe, she, it
2Proto-Indo-Europeanísthis, he (used as the 3rd person pronoun)

Words derived from “é”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁e- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European éy →
é — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer