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
- An Internet protocol for finding information...
Ancestry of “whois”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | who | What person or people; which person or people;... |
| 2 | Middle English | wha | — |
| 3 | Old English | hwā | who |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwaʀ | who |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |