Where does “кото́рый” come from?
кото́рый (Russian) comes from Old East Slavic которъ, from Proto-Slavic kotorъ, from Proto-Indo-European kʷóteros, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.
Ancestry of “кото́рый”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old East Slavic | которъ | — |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | kotorъ | which |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷóteros | which of two |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |
Words derived from “кото́рый”