Where does “whoever's” come from?
whoever's (English) comes from English ’s, from English Kingstown, from English town, from Middle English toun, from Middle English ende, from Old English ende, from Proto-Germanic andi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti — on, onto.
whoever's (English): whoever is
Definitions
- whoever is
Ancestry of “whoever's”, step by step
whoever's traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ’s
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ’s | — |
| 2 | English | Kingstown | OS grid ref NY3959 |
| 3 | English | town | A settlement; an area with residential districts,... |
| 4 | Middle English | toun | town |
| 5 | Middle English | ende | The end or finishing of a thing; the terminal... |
| 6 | Old English | ende | end, limit, border, corner |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | andi | in addition, furthermore, and |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
via English whoever
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | whoever | who; Whatever person or persons; No matter who |
| 2 | English | who | What person or people; which person or people;... |
| 3 | Middle English | wha | — |
| 4 | Old English | hwā | who |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hwaʀ | who |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |