Where does “jak” come from?
jak (Old Polish) comes from Proto-Slavic jako, from Proto-Slavic jakъ, from Proto-Slavic jь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic iś, from Old Polish ić, from Proto-Slavic jьti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic eitei, from Proto-Indo-European h₁éyti — to go.
Ancestry of “jak”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | jako | how, in which way |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | jakъ | of this kind; of what/which kind |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | jь | this; he |
| 4 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | iś | — |
| 5 | Old Polish | ić | to go |
| 6 | Proto-Slavic | jьti | to go |
| 7 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | eitei | to go |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁éyti | to go, to be going |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ey- | to go |