Where does “whither” come from?
Whither comes from Old English hwider, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, ultimately from the root kʷ-.
whither (English): To what place; To wuther
Definitions
- To what place; To wuther
Ancestry of “whither”, step by step
whither traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English whider
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | whider | whither |
| 2 | Old English | hwider | to where, whither |
| 3 | Old English | hwæder | Alternative form of hwider |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *hwadrê | to which place, to where, whither |
via Scots whidder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | whidder | — |