Where does “hwæt” come from?

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

hwæt (Old English): what; why; how many or how much

Definitions

  1. what; why; how many or how much

Ancestry of “hwæt”, step by step

hwæt 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 Germanic *hwat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanic*hwat—

Words derived from “hwæt”

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