Where does “hwīle ǣr” come from?
hwīle ǣr (Old English) comes from Old English ǣr, from Old English dēaþ, from Old English wīc, from German witz, from Middle High German witz, from Old High German wizzi, from Proto-West Germanic wītī, from Proto-Germanic witją — to see.
Ancestry of “hwīle ǣr”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | ǣr | ere, before |
| 2 | Old English | dēaþ | death |
| 3 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 4 | German | witz | joke |
| 5 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 6 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |