Where does “whichever” come from?
Whichever derives from English which, from Middle English which, from Old English hwilc, from Proto-Germanic hwilīkaz and hwaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷos and līg-.
whichever (English): Any one or a number of a group; No matter which
Definitions
- Any one or a number of a group; No matter which
Ancestry of “whichever”, step by step
| 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 |