Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wherein” come from?

Wherein comes from English where and English in, ultimately deriving from Old English inn and Latin uncia, both tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "one" and "to stand."

wherein (English): How, or in what way; Where, or in which location;...

Definitions

  1. How, or in what way; Where, or in which location;...

Ancestry of “wherein”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwhere-Which, what, whom
2EnglishwhereWhile on the contrary; although; whereas; At or...
3Middle Englishwher—
4Old Englishhwǣrwhere
5Old English-aEnding forming adverbs; nominative masculine...
6Proto-Germanic-ō—
7Proto-Germanic-ô-ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade...
8Proto-Indo-European-ōDerives nouns from roots

Words derived from “wherein”

  • whereinbefore
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ō →