Where does “hwitehlaf” come from?

hwitehlaf (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.

hwitehlaf (Old English): loaf of white bread

Definitions

  1. loaf of white bread

Ancestry of “hwitehlaf”, step by step

hwitehlaf 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 Old English hlāf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhlāfbread, loaf; bread, loaf, morsel; loaf, cake,...
2Proto-West Germanichlaibbread, loaf
3Proto-Germanichlaibazbread
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwītaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwīt →
hwitehlaf — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer