Where does “which” come from?

which (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.

which (Middle English): which

Definitions

  1. which

Ancestry of “which”, 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 “which”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →