Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “hwenne” come from?

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

Ancestry of “hwenne”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanichwannēat what time, when; when
2Proto-Germanichwanwhen, at what time
3Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
4Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

Words derived from “hwenne”

  • whensoever
  • whenas
  • somewhen
  • whenwe
  • anywhen
  • elsewhen
  • nowhen
  • whenness
  • everwhen
  • when
  • whan
  • whanne
  • when
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →