Where does “ewe” come from?

ewe (Pennsylvania German) comes from Middle High German ëben, from Old High German eban, from Proto-West Germanic ebn, from Proto-Germanic ebnaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos — equal, straight; flat, level, even.

ewe (Pennsylvania German): even; level

Definitions

  1. even; level

Ancestry of “ewe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanëben—
2Old High Germanebanplain, even
3Proto-West Germanicebneven, level
4Proto-Germanicebnazeven, level
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁émnosequal, straight; flat, level, even
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos →Every word from Proto-Germanic ebnaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic ebn →