Where does “иностранный” come from?

иностранный (Russian) comes from Russian ино́й, from Old East Slavic инъ, from Proto-Slavic jьnъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *iˀnas, from Proto-Indo-European óynos — one; single.

иностранный (Russian): foreign

Definitions

  1. foreign

Ancestry of “иностранный”, step by step

иностранный traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Russian ино́й

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianино́йdifferent; other
2Old East Slavicинъother, another
3Proto-Slavicjьnъother, another; different
4Proto-Balto-Slavic*iˀnas—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single

via Russian страна́

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianстрана́country, region
2Old East Slavicстранаside
3Old Church Slavonicстранаside; country, region
4Proto-Slavicstornàside, land
Every word from Proto-Indo-European óynos →Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic *iˀnas →Every word from Proto-Slavic jьnъ →