Where does “whom” come from?
whom (Middle English) comes from Old English hwām, from Proto-Germanic hwammai, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.
Ancestry of “whom”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | hwām | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | hwammai | masculine/neuter dative of *hwaz |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |
Words derived from “whom”