Where does “وا” come from?

وا (Urdu) comes from Sanskrit वा, from Proto-Iranian Hwah-, from Proto-Indo-Iranian Hwas-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wes- — to dwell, live, reside; to stay, spend the night.

وا (Urdu): open, open wide

Definitions

  1. open, open wide

Ancestry of “وا”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritवाor; to blow
2Proto-IranianHwah-to dwell, remain
3Proto-Indo-IranianHwas-to dwell, inhabit; to stay
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂wes-to dwell, live, reside; to stay, spend the night
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂wes- →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian Hwas- →Every word from Proto-Iranian Hwah- →