Where does “wat” come from?

wat (Old Dutch) comes from Proto-West Germanic hwat, from Proto-Germanic hwat, from Proto-Indo-European kʷód, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.

wat (Old Dutch): what

Definitions

  1. what

Ancestry of “wat”, step by step

wat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-West Germanic hwat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanichwatwhat
2Proto-Germanichwatnominative/accusative singular neuter of *hwaz
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷódwhat
4Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóswho

via Proto-Germanic wēd-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicwēd-—

Words derived from “wat”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷód →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwat →