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

  1. neuter nominative/accusative singular of hver

Ancestry of “hvað”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsehvatwhat
2Proto-Germanichwatnominative/accusative singular neuter of *hwaz
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷódwhat
4Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóswho
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷód →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwat →