Where does “who” come from?

who (Middle English) comes from Old English hwā, from Proto-West Germanic hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

who (Middle English): who nominative

Definitions

  1. who nominative

Ancestry of “who”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwāwho
2Proto-West Germanichwaʀwho
3Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
4Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

Words derived from “who”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwaz →