Where does “whei” come from?

whei (Middle English) comes from Old English hwæiġ, from Proto-West Germanic hwai, from Proto-Indo-European kʷey- — to pay; to avenge.

whei (Middle English): Alternative form of whey

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of whey

Ancestry of “whei”, step by step

whei traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English hwæiġ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwæiġ—
2Proto-West Germanichwaiwhey
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷey-to pay; to avenge

via Old English hwǣġ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwǣġ—
2Proto-West Germanic*hwaijwhey

via Old English hweġ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhweġwhey
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷey- →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwai →Every word from Old English hwæiġ →