Where does “праотец” come from?

праотец (Russian) comes from Russian оте́ц, from Old East Slavic отьць, from Proto-Slavic otь̃cь, from Proto-Indo-European átta — father.

праотец (Russian): ancestor, forefather one from whom a person is descended

Definitions

  1. ancestor, forefather one from whom a person is descended

Ancestry of “праотец”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianоте́цfather
2Old East Slavicотьцьfather
3Proto-Slavicotь̃cь—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanáttafather
Every word from Proto-Indo-European átta →Every word from Proto-Slavic otь̃cь →Every word from Old East Slavic отьць →