Where does “if” come from?

if (Volapük) comes from English IF, from Middle English if, from Old English ġif, from Proto-Germanic jabai, from Proto-Indo-European ē- — then, at that time.

if (Volapük): if

Definitions

  1. if

Ancestry of “if”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishIFInitialism of interactive fiction; Initialism of...
2Middle Englishifif, on condition that
3Old Englishġifif
4Proto-Germanicjabaiwhen, if
5Proto-Indo-Europeanē-then, at that time
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ē- →Every word from Proto-Germanic jabai →Every word from Old English ġif →