Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “hwæs” come from?

hwæs (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic hwes, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

hwæs (Old English): genitive singular of hwā; genitive singular of...

Definitions

  1. genitive singular of hwā; genitive singular of...

Ancestry of “hwæs”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanichwes—
2Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
3Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
4Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

Words derived from “hwæs”

  • whose
  • whosesoever
  • whosever
  • whos
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →