Where does “host” come from?
host (Middle English) comes from Old English hwōsta, from Proto-West Germanic hwōstō, from Proto-Germanic hwōstô, from Proto-Germanic hwōsaną, from Proto-Indo-European kʷeh₂s- — to cough.
Ancestry of “host”, step by step
host traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English hwōsta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | hwōsta | cough; a cough |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | hwōstō | cough |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwōstô | cough |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwōsaną | to cough |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷeh₂s- | to cough |
via Old Norse hósti
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | hósti | a cough |