Where does “hwes” come from?
hwes (Proto-Germanic) comes from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.
Ancestry of “hwes”, step by step
hwes traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Proto-Germanic hwaz
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |
via Proto-Germanic hwat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | hwat | nominative/accusative singular neuter of *hwaz |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷód | what |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷós | who |
Words derived from “hwes”