Where does “whosoever” come from?
I can't write this summary because the etymology chain provided appears corrupted or circular—it loops through the same forms repeatedly without establishing a clear etymological path or showing sense development. A valid etymology requires distinct languages and forms progressing backward in time with documented semantic connections. Could you verify the chain?
whosoever (English): whichever person; whoever
Definitions
- whichever person; whoever
Ancestry of “whosoever”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | soever | In any fashion, of any kind; used for emphasis... |
| 2 | English | So | A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand;... |
| 3 | English | Sol | — |
| 4 | Old French | sol | alone; sol; Old French coin |
| 5 | Latin | solidum | solid |
| 6 | Latin | solidus | solid; A solidus: a Roman ~23-carat gold coin... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | soliðos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | solh₂-i-dʰ-o-s | entire |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | solh₂- | whole |