τρεις (Greek)
Where does "τρεις" come from?
The Greek word 'τρεῖς' (treîs) descends directly from the Proto-Hellenic form '*tréyes', which traces back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European root '*tréyes'. This ancient term has been remarkably stable, appearing as a shared ancestor across a vast family of languages, including the Latin 'trēs' and the English 'three'.
Full etymology tree
- τρεις (Greek), 'three, 3'
- inherited τρεῖς (Ancient Greek), 'three'
- inherited *tréyes (Proto-Hellenic), 'three'
- inherited *tréyes (Proto-Indo-European), 'three'
- inherited *tréyes (Proto-Hellenic), 'three'
- inherited τρεῖς (Ancient Greek), 'three'
Ancestors
- τρεῖς (Ancient Greek)
- *tréyes (Proto-Hellenic)
- *tréyes (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris