Where does “неужели” come from?

неужели (Russian) comes from Russian не, from Proto-Slavic ne, from Proto-Balto-Slavic nē, from Proto-Indo-European né — not; no.

неужели (Russian): really?, is it possible?, indeed

Definitions

  1. really?, is it possible?, indeed

Ancestry of “неужели”, step by step

неужели traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Russian не

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianнеnot, no, -n't, without; Idiomatic negative usage;...
2Proto-Slavicnenot
3Proto-Balto-Slavicnēnot
4Proto-Indo-Europeannénot; no

via Russian уже́

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianуже́already
2Proto-Slavicǫži—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European né →Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic nē →Every word from Proto-Slavic ne →