Where does “welch” come from?

welch (Middle High German) comes from Old High German welih, from Proto-Germanic hwilīkaz, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

Ancestry of “welch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanwelihwhich
2Proto-Germanichwilīkazwhat kind of, what sort of
3Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
4Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

Words derived from “welch”

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