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

wheat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English whete

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

via Old English hwettan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwettanto sharpen; to incite, encourage
2Proto-West Germanichwattjanto sharpen, whet
3Proto-Germanichwatjanąto sharpen; whet; to instigate; incite
4Proto-Indo-Europeankʷeh₁d-to stab

Words derived from “wheat”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →