Where does “и” come from?
и (Russian) comes from Greek η, from Ancient Greek ἡ, from Proto-Hellenic *hā́, from Proto-Indo-European séh₂, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.
и (Russian): and
Definitions
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Ancestry of “и”, step by step
и traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Greek η
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greek | η | nominative feminine singular of ο |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἡ | feminine nominative singular of ὁ |
| 3 | Proto-Hellenic | *hā́ | that (demonstrative) |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₂ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |
via Proto-Slavic i
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | i | and |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | éy | the; demonstrative pronoun; this one, he |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁e- | — |
via Chinese Mandarin 彝
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese Mandarin | 彝 | — |