Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “hwilc” come from?

hwilc (Middle English) comes from Old English hwelċ, from Proto-Germanic hwilīkaz, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

Ancestry of “hwilc”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwelċwhich
2Proto-Germanichwilīkazwhat kind of, what sort of
3Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
4Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

Words derived from “hwilc”

  • whichever
  • whichsoever
  • which've
  • which's
  • everwhich
  • which
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →