Where does “aye” come from?

aye (Yola) comes from Middle English ay, from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

aye (Yola): ever

Definitions

  1. ever

Ancestry of “aye”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishayalways, constantly, unceasingly; eternally, forever
2Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
3Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ—
4Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
5Proto-Germanicagwjō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →
aye — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer