Where does “a” come from?

a (Old Polish) comes from Proto-Slavic a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic ō, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ōd.

Ancestry of “a”, step by step

a traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Slavic a

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavicabut; and
2Proto-Balto-Slavicōand; but
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ōd—

via Old Polish li

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Polishliinterrogative particle: introduces a yes-no question
2Proto-Slavicliquestion-forming interrogative particle

Words derived from “a”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ōd →