Where does “anywise” come from?
Anywise comes from Middle English anywise, from Old English ǣnwīs, combining ǣniġ (any) from Proto-Germanic ainagaz and wīs (way, manner) from Proto-Indo-European dérkstis.
anywise (English): In any case
Ancestry of “anywise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | any | To even the slightest extent, at all; At least... |
| 2 | Middle English | any | — |
| 3 | Old English | ǣniġ | any |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *ainag | — |