Where does “wai” come from?

wai (Jamaican Creole) comes from English why, from Middle English why, from Old English hwȳ, from Proto-Germanic hwī, from Proto-Indo-European kʷey, from Proto-Indo-European kʷis — interrogative, relative stem; who, what;...

wai (Jamaican Creole): why

Definitions

  1. why

Ancestry of “wai”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhyFor what cause, reason, or purpose; For which...
2Middle Englishwhy—
3Old Englishhwȳwhy
4Proto-Germanichwīhow, with what, by what means; instrumental of...
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷey—
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷisinterrogative, relative stem; who, what;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷis →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷey →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwī →