Where does “жив” come from?
жив (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Proto-Slavic živъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic gīˀwas, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- — to live.
жив (Serbo-Croatian): alive
Ancestry of “жив”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | živъ | alive, live, living |
| 2 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | gīˀwas | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |