Where does “somehow” come from?

somehow (English) comes from English some, from Middle English som, from Old English sum, from Proto-West Germanic *sum, from Proto-Germanic sumaz, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.

somehow (English): In one way or another; in a way not yet known or...

Definitions

  1. In one way or another; in a way not yet known or...

Ancestry of “somehow”, step by step

somehow traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English some

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsomeA certain number, at least two; An indefinite...
2Middle Englishsomsome
3Old Englishsumsome
4Proto-West Germanic*sumsome
5Proto-Germanicsumazsome (one), a certain (one)
6Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

via English how

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhowTo what degree; In what manner; In what state
2Middle Englishhowhow
3Old Englishhow
4Proto-Germanichwōhow, with what, by what means; instrumental of...
5Proto-Indo-European*kʷís
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem-