Where does “was” come from?

was (German) comes from Middle High German waȥ, from Old High German waȥ, from Proto-West Germanic hwat, from Proto-Germanic hwat, from Proto-Indo-European kʷód, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.

was (German): what; which; that, which

Definitions

  1. what; which; that, which

Ancestry of “was”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanwaȥwhat
2Old High Germanwaȥwhat
3Proto-West Germanichwatwhat
4Proto-Germanichwatnominative/accusative singular neuter of *hwaz
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷódwhat
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóswho

Words derived from “was”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷód →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwat →
was — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer