Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “muchwhat” come from?

muchwhat (English) comes from English what, from Middle English what, from Old English hwæt, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.

muchwhat (English): Nearly, almost; much; Many matters

Definitions

  1. Nearly, almost; much; Many matters

Ancestry of “muchwhat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhatWhich thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used...
2Middle Englishwhat—
3Old Englishhwætwhat; why; how many or how much
4Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
5Old English-tūn—
6Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
7Proto-West Germanictūnfence
8Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
9Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
10Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
11Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →