Where does “wherwith” come from?
wherwith (Middle English) comes from Middle English wiþ, from Old English wiþ, from Old English wiþer, from Proto-West Germanic wiþr, from Proto-Germanic wiþrą, from Proto-Indo-European wī-tero-, from Proto-Indo-European wi — apart, asunder; away from, against.
wherwith (Middle English): wherewith; by which, with which, through which
Definitions
- wherewith; by which, with which, through which
Ancestry of “wherwith”, step by step
wherwith traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English wiþ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wiþ | with |
| 2 | Old English | wiþ | against, opposite; along, towards; with |
| 3 | Old English | wiþer | toward, against; again, against; against, in... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wiþr | toward, against |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wiþrą | toward, against |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wī-tero- | further apart |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wi | apart, asunder; away from, against |
via Middle English wher
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wher | where |
| 2 | Old English | hwǣr | where |
| 3 | Old English | -a | Ending forming adverbs; nominative masculine... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -ō | Creates feminine nouns from roots and stems |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ô | -ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |