Where does “whois” come from?

whois (Translingual) comes from English who, from Middle English wha, from Old English hwā, from Proto-West Germanic hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.

whois (Translingual): An Internet protocol for finding information...

Definitions

  1. An Internet protocol for finding information...

Ancestry of “whois”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhoWhat person or people; which person or people;...
2Middle Englishwha—
3Old Englishhwāwho
4Proto-West Germanichwaʀwho
5Proto-Germanichwazwho, what; whose; whom
6Proto-Indo-EuropeankʷosSee *kʷis
7Proto-Indo-Europeankʷ-The primary interrogative root
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwaz →