Where does “whyle” come from?
whyle (Middle English) comes from Old English hwīl, from Proto-West Germanic hwīlu, from Proto-Germanic hwīlō, from Proto-Indo-European kʷyeh₁- — to rest; rest, peace.
Ancestry of “whyle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | hwīl | time; while; while; time, while |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | hwīlu | period of rest, pause; time, period of time,... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwīlō | time, period of time, while; period of rest,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷyeh₁- | to rest; rest, peace |