Where does “we” come from?

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

we (Middle Low German): who; Alternative form of wî

Definitions

  1. who; Alternative form of wî

Ancestry of “we”, step by step

we traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Saxon hwē

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonhwēwho
2Proto-West Germanichwaʀwho
3Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
4Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

via Proto-Germanic wīz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicwīzwe
2Proto-Indo-Europeanwéywe
3Proto-Indo-Europeanéǵh₂I

Words derived from “we”

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