Etymology Explorer
› Germanic
Where does “*hwat” come from?
*hwat (Germanic) comes from Proto-Indo-European kʷód, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.
Ancestry of “*hwat”, step by step
Step
Language
Word
Meaning
1
Proto-Indo-European
kʷód
what
2
Proto-Indo-European
kʷós
who
Words derived from “*hwat”
what
whatever
somewhat
summit
whatsoever
wat
whatnot
summat
whatcha
whatness
summitry
summital
presummit
whateverism
minisummit
whatchacallit
whath
whatchoo
summitless
muchwhat
summiteer
whateverness
anywhat
whateverist
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷós →
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷód →