Where does “оса” come from?
оса (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Proto-Slavic osь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic aśís, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱs-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.
оса (Serbo-Croatian): wasp; axis
Ancestry of “оса”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | osь | axis, axle |
| 2 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | aśís | axle, axis |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱs- | axis, axle |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |