Where does “wat” come from?
wat (West Frisian) comes from Old Frisian hwet, from Proto-West Germanic hwat, from Proto-Germanic hwat, from Proto-Indo-European kʷód, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.
wat (West Frisian): what
Ancestry of “wat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Frisian | hwet | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | hwat | what |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwat | nominative/accusative singular neuter of *hwaz |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷód | what |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷós | who |