Where does “howbeit” come from?
Howbeit derives from English be, a conjunction combining how and by, ultimately from the English conjunction be meaning "to be."
howbeit (English): Although; Be that as it may; nevertheless
Definitions
- Although; Be that as it may; nevertheless
Ancestry of “howbeit”, step by step
howbeit traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English be
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | be | To exist; to have real existence, to be alive; To... |
| 2 | Middle English | been | to be; ben; plural of bee |
| 3 | Old English | bēn | prayer, request; prayer, request, petition,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | banjō | wound |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰon-yeh₂ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |
via English how
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | how | To what degree; In what manner; In what state |
| 2 | Middle English | how | how |
| 3 | Old English | hū | how |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwō | how, with what, by what means; instrumental of... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *kʷís | — |
via English it
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | it | The third-person singular personal pronoun that... |
| 2 | Middle English | hit | Third-person singular neuter pronoun: it;... |
| 3 | Old English | hit | it |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hit | nominative/accusative singular neuter of *hiz |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe- | demonstrative particle; here; this, here |