Where does “wherewithin” come from?
wherewithin (English) comes from English within, from Middle English withinne, from Old English wiþinnan, from Old English wiþ, from Old English wiþer, from Proto-West Germanic wiþr, from Proto-Germanic wiþrą, from Proto-Indo-European wī-tero- — apart, asunder; away from, against.
wherewithin (English): Within which
Definitions
- Within which
Ancestry of “wherewithin”, step by step
wherewithin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English within
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | within | In the inner part, spatially; physically inside;... |
| 2 | Middle English | withinne | — |
| 3 | Old English | wiþinnan | within |
| 4 | Old English | wiþ | against, opposite; along, towards; with |
| 5 | Old English | wiþer | toward, against; again, against; against, in... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | wiþr | toward, against |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wiþrą | toward, against |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wī-tero- | further apart |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wi | apart, asunder; away from, against |
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 |