Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “hwǣte” come from?

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

hwǣte (Old English): wheat

Definitions

  1. wheat

Ancestry of “hwǣte”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanichwaitīwheat
2Proto-Germanichwaitijazwheat
3Proto-Germanichwītazwhite
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweytosbright; shine; shine; bright

Words derived from “hwǣte”

  • wheat
  • Wheatley
  • Wheatland
  • Wheaties
  • wheatgrass
  • wheatfield
  • wheatless
  • wheatsheaf
  • wheatbelt
  • wheatmeal
  • wheatboard
  • wheatish
  • wheatland
  • wheaty
  • wheatstack
  • wheatlike
  • nonwheat
  • wheatstalk
  • wheatberry
  • wheatrick
  • Weet-Bix
  • wheatbird
  • wheatworm
  • notwheat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →