Etymograph

English

we

We comes from Middle English we, from Old English wē, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, from PIE *wéy.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéy‘we’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīzreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wiʀ‘we’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wē
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500we
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1836same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéy‘we’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīzreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wiʀ‘we’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wē
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500we
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1836same form

Earliest quotation: 1836, Boz: “Well, my dear ma’am, and how are we?” inquired…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wéy ‘we (plural)’

us, 1 more

Today it means

pron Excluding the person(s) being addressed. (This is the exclusive we.)

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wéy / we

Shirt and support for this word