Where does “hwītian” come from?

hwītian (Old English) comes from Old English hwīt, from Proto-West Germanic hwīt, from Proto-Germanic hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos — bright; shine; shine; bright.

hwītian (Old English): to whiten

Definitions

  1. to whiten

Ancestry of “hwītian”, step by step

hwītian traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English hwīt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwītwhite
2Proto-West Germanichwītwhite
3Proto-Germanichwītazwhite
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweytosbright; shine; shine; bright

via Proto-Germanic hwītnōną

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanichwītnōnąto whiten, become white
2Proto-Indo-Europeankwind-—

Words derived from “hwītian”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwītaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwīt →