Where does “hvis” come from?

hvis (Danish) comes from Middle Low German wes, from Old Saxon hwes, from Proto-Germanic hwes, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

hvis (Danish): if; whose

Definitions

  1. if; whose

Ancestry of “hvis”, step by step

hvis traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Low German wes

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanweswhose, of whom; whose, of what
2Old Saxonhwes—
3Proto-Germanichwes—
4Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
5Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

via Old Norse hvess

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsehvess—
2Proto-Germanic*hwaz—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwaz →