Where does “wheeze” come from?

Wheeze comes from Middle English whesen, from Old Norse hvæsa, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwes-, a root of uncertain meaning.

wheeze (English): To breathe hard, and with an audible piping or...

Definitions

  1. To breathe hard, and with an audible piping or...

Ancestry of “wheeze”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwhesen—
2Old Norsehvæsato hiss
3Proto-Germanic*hwēsijanąto cause to wheeze
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwes-to puff, sigh; to pant, puff, sigh; to puff; to...

Words derived from “wheeze”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱwes- →Every word from Proto-Germanic *hwēsijaną →Every word from Old Norse hvæsa →