To — From Proto-Germanic to English | etymologist.ai
to
/tuː/, /tə/·preposition·before 700 CE·Established
Origin
'To' is PIE *do- (toward) — it spawned 'too,' 'today,' 'tonight,' 'together,' and 'toward.'
Definition
Expressing motion in the direction of; indicating the infinitive of a verb.
The Full Story
Proto-Germanicbefore 700 CEwell-attested
From OldEnglish "tō" (in the direction of, for the purpose of), from Proto-Germanic *tō/*ta (to, toward), from PIE *do- (to, toward), an adverbial particle indicating direction or goal. ThePIE root *do- is one of the oldest directional markers in the language family, surviving in Latin "-do" as seen in "quando" (when, lit. "to which time") and in Old Church
Did you know?
'To,' 'too,' 'today,' 'tonight,' 'together,' and 'toward' areall the same word. 'Too' is just a stressed form of 'to' (meaning 'excessively toward'). 'Today' is 'to-day' (toward this day). 'Tonight' is 'to-night.' 'Together' is 'to-gather' (gathered toward each other). One directional