Where does “wan” come from?

wan (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon hwan, from Proto-West Germanic hwan, from Proto-Germanic hwan, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

Ancestry of “wan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonhwanwhen; then
2Proto-West Germanichwanwhen
3Proto-Germanichwanwhen, at what time
4Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
5Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

Words derived from “wan”

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