Where does “an” come from?
an (Old Portuguese) comes from Vulgar Latin *ant, from Latin habent, from Latin habeo, from Proto-Italic habēō, from Proto-Indo-European gʰh₁bʰ- — to grab, to take; to grab, take.
Ancestry of “an”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vulgar Latin | *ant | — |
| 2 | Latin | habent | third-person plural present active indicative of... |
| 3 | Latin | habeo | I have, hold; I own, have; I possess, have |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | habēō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰh₁bʰ- | to grab, to take; to grab, take |