Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wheat” come from?

Wheat comes from Middle English whete, from Old English hwǣte, from Proto-West Germanic hwaitī, from Proto-Germanic hwaitijaz and hwītaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos.

wheat (English): Any of several cereal grains, of the genus...

Definitions

  1. Any of several cereal grains, of the genus...

Ancestry of “wheat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwheteWheat; The grain resulting from wheat; corn; The...
2Old Englishhwǣtewheat
3Proto-West Germanichwaitīwheat
4Proto-Germanichwaitijazwheat
5Proto-Germanichwītazwhite
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweytosbright; shine; shine; bright

Words derived from “wheat”

  • Wheatland
  • Wheaties
  • wheatgrass
  • wheatfield
  • wheatless
  • wheatsheaf
  • wheatbelt
  • wheatmeal
  • wheatboard
  • wheatish
  • wheatland
  • wheaty
  • wheatstack
  • wheatlike
  • nonwheat
  • wheatstalk
  • wheatberry
  • wheatrick
  • Weet-Bix
  • wheatbird
  • wheatworm
  • notwheat
  • wheatings
  • cow-wheat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →