Where does “whomever” come from?
Whomever derives from Middle English who, from Old English hwā, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, a root denoting "who" or "which."
whomever (English): Max Beerbohm
Definitions
- Max Beerbohm
Ancestry of “whomever”, step by step
whomever traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English whom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | whom | What person or people; which person or people, as... |
| 2 | Middle English | whom | (to) who, whom accusative or dative |
| 3 | Old English | hwām | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwammai | masculine/neuter dative of *hwaz |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |