Where does “why” come from?

why (Middle English) comes from Old English hwȳ, from Proto-Germanic hwī, from Proto-Indo-European kʷey, from Proto-Indo-European kʷis — interrogative, relative stem; who, what;...

Ancestry of “why”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwȳwhy
2Proto-Germanichwīhow, with what, by what means; instrumental of...
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷey—
4Proto-Indo-Europeankʷisinterrogative, relative stem; who, what;...

Words derived from “why”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷis →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷey →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwī →
why — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer