Where does “who've” come from?
who've (English) comes from English WHO, from Middle English who, from Old English hwā, from Proto-West Germanic hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.
Ancestry of “who've”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | WHO | — |
| 2 | Middle English | who | — |
| 3 | Old English | hwā | who |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwaʀ | who |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |