Where does “la” come from?
la (Sicilian) comes from Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from Old Latin olle, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-.
la (Sicilian): the
Ancestry of “la”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vulgar Latin | *illa | — |
| 2 | Latin | illam | accusative feminine singular of ille |
| 3 | Old Latin | olle | that; he, that; Archaic form of ille |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | — |