Where does “which've” come from?
which've (English) comes from English which, from Middle English which, from Old English hwelċ, from Proto-Germanic hwilīkaz, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.
Ancestry of “which've”, step by step
which've traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English which
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | which | What, of those mentioned or implied; The one or... |
| 2 | Middle English | which | which |
| 3 | Old English | hwelċ | which |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwilīkaz | what kind of, what sort of |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |
via English ’ve
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ’ve | in its sense marking the perfect or retrospective aspect |