From è + sí, probably from the nominalizing prefix è-, which represents the human form. Most dialects and Yoruboid languages have a common cognate form different from Standard Yoruba, see, Ekiti ì sí, Ẹ̀gbá & Ìjẹ̀bú lè sí, Ijesha yè sí, Ọ̀wọ̀ sí, Iyagba nè ghí. The use of "sí" can be seen in many interrogative forms in dialects such as Ekiti, see ọ̀kàn sí (“which”), ubi sí (“where”), òlú sí (“how much”), ùgbẹ̀ sí (“when”). Cognate with Itsekiri nè sín, Olukumi è ghí, Ede Ije lè é.