Where does “wie” come from?
wie (Pennsylvania German) comes from Middle High German wie, from Proto-Germanic hwē, from Proto-Germanic hwī, from Proto-Indo-European kʷey, from Proto-Indo-European kʷis — interrogative, relative stem; who, what;...
wie (Pennsylvania German): how
Ancestry of “wie”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | wie | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | hwē | how, with what, by what means; instrumental of... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwī | how, with what, by what means; instrumental of... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷey | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷis | interrogative, relative stem; who, what;... |