Where does “whit” come from?

whit (Middle English) comes from Old English hwīt, from Proto-West Germanic hwīt, from Proto-Germanic hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos — bright; shine; shine; bright.

whit (Middle English): white, pale, light; wearing white clothes; having...

Definitions

  1. white, pale, light; wearing white clothes; having...

Ancestry of “whit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwītwhite
2Proto-West Germanichwītwhite
3Proto-Germanichwītazwhite
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweytosbright; shine; shine; bright

Words derived from “whit”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwītaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwīt →