Where does “” come from?

cá (Portuguese) comes from Old Portuguese aca, from Latin eccum hac, from Latin eccum, from Latin ecce, from Latin -ce, from Proto-Italic ke, from Indo-European *ḱe.

(Portuguese): here; hither; The name of the Latin-script letter...

Definitions

  1. here; hither; The name of the Latin-script letter...

Ancestry of “”, step by step

traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Portuguese aca

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Portugueseaca
2Latineccum hachere, hither
3Latineccumbehold him; here!, look!
4Latineccesee!, look!, behold!, points out something with...
5Latin-ceaffixed, usually to demonstratives, forming...
6Proto-Italickehere
7Indo-European*ḱe

via Old Portuguese cãa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Portuguesecãa
2Latincānuswhite
3Proto-Italickaznosgrey
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱas-grayish-white; white, blond, grey; blond; grey;...

via Latin quam

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinquamin what way, to what degree; how, how much, as...
2Proto-Italickʷoiwho, what
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóswho
Every word from Indo-European *ḱe