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
- something; somewhat, slightly; a little, a bit
Ancestry of “etwas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | etewaʒ | — |
| 2 | Old High German | eddeshwaz | — |
| 3 | Old High German | hwaz | — |
| 4 | Germanic | *hwat | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷód | what |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷós | who |