Where does “яйце” come from?
яйце (Ukrainian) comes from Old Church Slavonic ꙗице, from Proto-Slavic ajьce, from Proto-Slavic ȃje, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ṓjan, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ōwyóm, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwis — bird.
Ancestry of “яйце”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Church Slavonic | ꙗице | — |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | ajьce | egg |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | ȃje | — |
| 4 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | *ṓjan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ōwyóm | egg |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éwis | bird |