Where does “how” come from?

How comes from Middle English howe, Old English hū, Proto-Germanic hanhaz, Frankish hauwan, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European roots including h₁eyHweh₂, yūs, and túh₂.

how (English): To what degree; In what manner; In what state

Definitions

  1. To what degree; In what manner; In what state

Ancestry of “how”, step by step

how traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English how

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhowhow
2Old Englishhūhow
3Proto-Germanichwōhow, with what, by what means; instrumental of...
4Proto-Indo-European*kʷís—

via Old Norse haugr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsehaugrhowe, mound; dung heap, midden; cairn;...
2Proto-Germanichaugazheight; hill
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱewk-flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten

Words derived from “how”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwō →Every word from Old English hū →