Where does “whensoever” come from?
Whensoever combines English when and English so with English sol, ultimately deriving from Latin sol.
whensoever (English): whenever; at any time at all
Definitions
- whenever; at any time at all
Ancestry of “whensoever”, step by step
whensoever traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English soever
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | soever | In any fashion, of any kind; used for emphasis... |
| 2 | English | So | A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand;... |
| 3 | English | Sol | The Sun, the star orbited by the Earth |
| 4 | Old French | sol | alone; sol; Old French coin |
| 5 | Latin | solidum | solid |
| 6 | Latin | solidus | solid; A solidus: a Roman ~23-carat gold coin... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | soliðos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | solh₂-i-dʰ-o-s | entire |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | solh₂- | whole |
via English when
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | when | At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion... |
| 2 | Middle English | when | Alternative form of whenne; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Middle English | whan | whom; Alternative form of whenne; Alternative... |
| 4 | Old English | hwōn | little, few, a little, trifle, somewhat, a little... |