Where does “żeby” come from?

żeby (Polish) comes from Old Polish żeby, from Old Polish -by, from Old Polish by, from Proto-Slavic *by.

żeby (Polish): creates a subordinate clause expressing desire or wish; to, so that, for that, in order to

Definitions

  1. creates a subordinate clause expressing desire or wish; to, so that, for that, in order to

Ancestry of “żeby”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Polishżebyintroduces a subordinate clause; that
2Old Polish-by[[conditional mood
3Old Polishbyintroduces a clause of aim; to, so that, in order to
4Proto-Slavic*by—
Every word from Proto-Slavic *by →Every word from Old Polish -by →Every word from Old Polish by →