Where does “hvað” come from?
hvað (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse hvat, from Proto-Germanic hwat, from Proto-Indo-European kʷód, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.
hvað (Icelandic): neuter nominative/accusative singular of hver
Definitions
- neuter nominative/accusative singular of hver
Ancestry of “hvað”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | hvat | what |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | hwat | nominative/accusative singular neuter of *hwaz |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷód | what |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷós | who |