Where does “etwas” come from?

etwas (German) comes from Middle High German etewaʒ, from Old High German eddeshwaz, from Old High German hwaz, from Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European kʷód, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.

etwas (German): something; somewhat, slightly; a little, a bit

Definitions

  1. something; somewhat, slightly; a little, a bit

Ancestry of “etwas”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanetewaʒ—
2Old High Germaneddeshwaz—
3Old High Germanhwaz—
4Germanic*hwat—
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷódwhat
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóswho
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷód →Every word from Germanic *hwat →