du (Esperanto)
Where does "du" come from?
The Esperanto word 'du' originates from the ancient Proto-Indo-European root '*dwóh₁', which signified the concept of two. This root evolved into the Latin 'duo' before being adopted into the international language of Esperanto to maintain its clear, historical connection to the number two found in many other related languages.
Full etymology tree
- du (Esperanto), 'two (2)'
- inherited duo (Latin), 'two; 2'
- inherited *duō (Proto-Italic), 'two'
- inherited *dwóh₁ (Proto-Indo-European), 'two'
- inherited *duō (Proto-Italic), 'two'
- inherited duo (Latin), 'two; 2'
Ancestors
- duo (Latin)
- *dwóh₁ (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- duo (Esperanto)
- dupunkto (Esperanto)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris