Where does “уж” come from?
уж (Russian) comes from Old East Slavic ѫжь, from Proto-Slavic ǫžь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ángis, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éngʷʰis — snake.
уж (Russian): already; grass snake
Ancestry of “уж”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old East Slavic | ѫжь | — |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | ǫžь | snake |
| 3 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | *ángis | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éngʷʰis | snake |