Where does “почему” come from?
почему (Russian) comes from Russian что́, from Old East Slavic чьто, from Proto-Slavic čьto, from Proto-Balto-Slavic ki, from Proto-Indo-European kʷíd, from Proto-Indo-European kʷís, from Proto-Indo-European kʷi- — interrogative base.
почему (Russian): why
Ancestry of “почему”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | что́ | what |
| 2 | Old East Slavic | чьто | — |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | čьto | what |
| 4 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | ki | what |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷíd | neuter nominative/accusative singular of *kʷís |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷís | who, what; who, which, that; which, what |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷi- | interrogative base |
Words derived from “почему”