Where does “hwaʀ” come from?

hwaʀ (Proto-West Germanic) comes from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

hwaʀ (Proto-West Germanic): who

Definitions

  1. who

Ancestry of “hwaʀ”, step by step

hwaʀ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Germanic hwaz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
2Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root

via Proto-Germanic *hwaz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic*hwaz—
2Proto-Indo-Europeankʷódwhat
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóswho

Words derived from “hwaʀ”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwaz →