Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wherewithal” come from?

Wherewithal derives from Middle English where with all, from Old English hwǣr meaning "at what place," combined with all to express means or resources for accomplishing something.

wherewithal (English): The ability and means required to accomplish some...

Definitions

  1. The ability and means required to accomplish some...

Ancestry of “wherewithal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwithal1844, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Rappaccini's...
2Middle Englishwithal—
3Middle Englishwiþwith
4Old Englishwiþagainst, opposite; along, towards; with
5Old Englishwiþertoward, against; again, against; against, in...
6Proto-West Germanicwiþrtoward, against
7Proto-Germanicwiþrątoward, against
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwī-tero-further apart
9Proto-Indo-Europeanwiapart, asunder; away from, against
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wi →