Where does “ferwas” come from?
ferwas (Pennsylvania German) comes from Pennsylvania German was, from Middle High German waȥ, from Old High German waȥ, from Proto-West Germanic hwat, from Proto-Germanic hwat, from Proto-Indo-European kʷód, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.
ferwas (Pennsylvania German): why
Ancestry of “ferwas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania German | was | what |
| 2 | Middle High German | waȥ | — |
| 3 | Old High German | waȥ | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwat | what |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwat | nominative/accusative singular neuter of *hwaz |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷód | what |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷós | who |