Etymology Explorer › Old Saxon

Where does “hwīt” come from?

hwīt (Old Saxon) comes from Proto-Germanic *hwīt, from Proto-Germanic hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos — bright; shine; shine; bright.

Ancestry of “hwīt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic*hwīt—
2Proto-Germanichwītazwhite
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweytosbright; shine; shine; bright

Words derived from “hwīt”

  • Schneewittchen
  • Sneewittken
  • witt
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →