Where does “hwæþer” come from?

hwæþer (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic hwaþar, from Proto-Germanic hwaþeraz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷóteros, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

hwæþer (Old English): which; whether; used to introduce a question

Definitions

  1. which; whether; used to introduce a question

Ancestry of “hwæþer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanichwaþarwhich
2Proto-Germanichwaþerazwhich, what
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóteroswhich of two
4Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

Words derived from “hwæþer”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷos →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷóteros →
hwæþer — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer