Where does “ווען” come from?
ווען (Yiddish) comes from Old High German wanne, from Proto-Germanic hwannē, from Proto-Germanic hwan, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.
ווען (Yiddish): when; if
Ancestry of “ווען”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | wanne | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | hwannē | at what time, when; when |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwan | when, at what time |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |