Where does “whiff” come from?

whiff (English) comes from Old English wef, from Middle English weven, from Old English wefan, from Proto-West Germanic weban, from Proto-Germanic webaną, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.

whiff (English): A waft; a brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of...

Definitions

  1. A waft; a brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of...

Ancestry of “whiff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwefweb
2Middle EnglishwevenTo weave; to perform or do some weaving; To...
3Old Englishwefanto weave
4Proto-West Germanicwebanto weave
5Proto-Germanicwebanąto weave
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwebʰ-to weave, braid

Words derived from “whiff”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- →
whiff — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer