Where does “wherefor” come from?
wherefor (English) comes from English for, from Middle English for, from Old English fōr, from Proto-West Germanic furi, from Proto-Germanic furi, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
wherefor (English): Alternative spelling of wherefore; For which
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of wherefore; For which
Ancestry of “wherefor”, step by step
wherefor traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English for
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | for | Because, as, since; Towards; in the direction of;... |
| 2 | Middle English | for | for |
| 3 | Old English | fōr | journey; going, course, journey |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | furi | for; before; forward |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | furi | for, before; before, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English where
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | where | While on the contrary; although; whereas; At or... |
| 2 | Middle English | wher | where |
| 3 | Old English | hwǣr | where |
| 4 | Old English | -a | Ending forming adverbs; nominative masculine... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ō | Creates feminine nouns from roots and stems |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ô | -ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |
via Middle English wherefore
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wherefore | — |