*hwō

Runic: ᚺᚹᛟ Pronunciation: /ˈxʷɔː/

pronoun

Meanings

how, with what, by what means; instrumental of *hwaz

Etymology

From a form of Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷís. Compare Latin quō (‘where(to); why; so that’) (Proto-Italic *kʷō) and Ancient Greek πω (pō) (pō, ‘ever’), Ionic Greek κω (kō) (Proto-Hellenic *kʷṓ). Equivalent to *hwaz (‘what’) + *-ō (instrumental ending).

Descendants

*hwō (Proto-West Germanic)
- huo (Old Dutch)
  - hoe (Middle Dutch)
    - hoe (Dutch)
    - woe (Limburgish)
*hwō (Proto-West Germanic)
- hū, hwu (Old English)
  - how, hou, howe, hu, hwu, whu, wou, wu (Middle English)
    - how (English)
    - hoo (Geordie)
    - hoo, how, foo (Scots)
    - fowe, how (Yola)
*hwō (Proto-West Germanic)
- hū, hō (Old Frisian)
  - wo (Saterland Frisian)
  - hoe, hoe't (West Frisian)
*hwō (Proto-West Germanic)
- hū, hō (Old Frisian)
  - ? (North Frisian)
    - hü (Mooring)
*hwō (Proto-West Germanic)
- hwio (Old High German)
  - wie (German)
  - wéi (Luxembourgish)
  - wi (Vilamovian)
*hwō (Proto-West Germanic)
- hwō, hwuo, hū (Old Saxon)
  - wô, wû (Middle Low German)
    - wo (Low German)

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