Where does “चैव” come from?

चैव (Sanskrit) comes from Sanskrit च, from Proto-Indo-Iranian -ča, from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe — and; Forms distributives from interrogatives.

Ancestry of “चैव”, step by step

चैव traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Sanskrit च

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritचand, both, also, moreover, as well as
2Proto-Indo-Iranian-čaand
3Proto-Indo-European-kʷeand; Forms distributives from interrogatives

via Sanskrit एव

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritएवso, just so; indeed, truly; just, exactly, as;...
2Sanskritइto go
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁éy-he, this

Words derived from “चैव”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian -ča →Every word from Sanskrit च →