Where does “ów” come from?
ów (Polish) comes from Proto-Slavic ovъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic awas, from Classical Persian آواز, from Middle Persian ʾwʾz, from Proto-Indo-European wṓkʷs, from Proto-Indo-European wekʷ- — to speak, to sound out.
ów (Polish): that, the aforementioned
Ancestry of “ów”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | ovъ | this |
| 2 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | awas | — |
| 3 | Classical Persian | آواز | — |
| 4 | Middle Persian | ʾwʾz | voice, sound, tune |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wṓkʷs | voice, speech |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |