Where does “ou” come from?
ou (Portuguese) comes from Old Portuguese ou, from Latin aut, from Proto-Italic *auti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ewti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ew, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe.
ou (Portuguese): or; ou … ou; either … or
Ancestry of “ou”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Portuguese | ou | — |
| 2 | Latin | aut | or |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | *auti | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ewti | on the other hand |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ew | away from, off; again |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰe | — |