Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “hu” come from?

hu (Middle English) comes from Old English hū, from Proto-Germanic hwō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís.

hu (Middle English): Alternative form of heo; how

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of heo; how

Ancestry of “hu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhūhow
2Proto-Germanichwōhow, with what, by what means; instrumental of...
3Proto-Indo-European*kʷís—

Words derived from “hu”

  • anyhow
  • howsoever
  • nohow
  • howbeit
  • howe
  • how've
  • howso
  • everyhow
  • howness
  • elsehow
  • how
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís →