Where does “no” come from?
no (Polish) comes from Polish ano, from Polish jeno, from Old Polish jéno, from French gène, from Middle French gehenne, from Old French gehine, from Old French gehir, from Frankish jehhjan — to utter.
no (Polish): yeah, yep; Emphatic particle used with...
Definitions
- yeah, yep; Emphatic particle used with...
Ancestry of “no”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polish | ano | yes, indeed |
| 2 | Polish | jeno | just, only |
| 3 | Old Polish | jéno | only, just |
| 4 | French | gène | gene |
| 5 | Middle French | gehenne | — |
| 6 | Old French | gehine | punishment resulting from admission of guilt;... |
| 7 | Old French | gehir | to admit, confess, acknowledge |
| 8 | Frankish | jehhjan | to say, confess |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | jehaną | to speak, say, express |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yék-e-ti | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | yek- | to utter |