Where does “a whole nother” come from?

a whole nother (English) comes from English another, from Middle English anoþer, from Middle English oþer, from Old English ōþer, from Proto-West Germanic *anþar, from Proto-Germanic anþeraz, from Proto-Indo-European ánteros — other.

a whole nother (English): An entirely different; a whole other; intensified...

Definitions

  1. An entirely different; a whole other; intensified...

Ancestry of “a whole nother”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishanotherOne more/further, in addition to a former number;...
2Middle EnglishanoþerAlternative spelling of another
3Middle Englishoþerother
4Old Englishōþerother, second
5Proto-West Germanic*anþarsecond
6Proto-Germanicanþerazsecond; other
7Proto-Indo-Europeanánterosother
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ánteros →Every word from Proto-Germanic anþeraz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *anþar →