Where does “whereto” come from?
Whereto comes from Middle English whereto, from Old English hwær tō, combining hwær (where) and tō (to), with tō ultimately from Latin te and Proto-Indo-European deyḱ- (to show or point).
whereto (English): To what; to which place, whither?; To what end;...
Definitions
- To what; to which place, whither?; To what end;...
Ancestry of “whereto”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wherto | whereto |
| 2 | Middle English | to | toe; to; too |
| 3 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 4 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |