English
who
Who comes from Old English hwā ‘who’, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz ‘who, what’, and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European interrogative root *kʷ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷ-‘interrogative root’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷosreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hwaz‘who’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hwaʀreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hwā‘who’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500who‘who’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷ-‘interrogative root’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷosreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hwaz‘who’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hwaʀreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hwā‘who’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500who‘who’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello: “Ia[go]. Hee’s married. Caſ[ſio]. To who? […] Ia[go]. Marry…”
The story
The sound change /hw/ > /h/ (without a corresponding change in spelling) was due to wh-cluster reduction after an irregular change of /ɑː/ to /oː/ in Middle English (instead of the expected /ɔː/) and further to /uː/ regularly in Early Modern English. A similar change occurred in two.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- ‘the primary interrogative root’
what, when, how, why, quantity, ubiquitous, quip, ubiquity, 13 more
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷos
neutral, elsewhere, rapunzel, whither, cadenza, 4 more
through Proto-Germanic *hwaz ‘who, what’
Today it means
pron What person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone; used in a direct or indirect question.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- / who