Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “whey” come from?

Whey comes from Old English hwǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic hwai, from Proto-Indo-European kʷey-, of unknown ultimate meaning.

whey (English): The liquid remaining after milk has been curdled...

Definitions

  1. The liquid remaining after milk has been curdled...

Ancestry of “whey”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwheyThe leftovers from milk curdled during...
2Old Englishhwǣġ—
3Proto-West Germanic*hwaij—

Words derived from “whey”

  • wheylike
  • wheyish
  • wheyey
  • wheyface
  • wheyishness
  • whey-faced
  • sack-whey
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *hwaij →