what

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | 496 words | Copyright

what n. of interrog. pron. OE.; interrog. adj. XII (from OE. use of hwæt with partitive g.); as relative XII; as indefinite (somewhat) XIII. OE. hwæt = OS. huat (Du. wat), OHG. (h)waʒ (G. was), ON. hvat, Goth. hwa :- Gmc. *χwat :- IE. *qod (cf. L. quod), n. of *qos WHO. In phrasal comps. what d'ye call it XVI. what not anything whatever XVI; article of furniture for holding odds and ends XIX. what's-his-name XVII.
Hence whatever XIV, whatso (arch.) XII, whatsoever XIII.

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T. F. HOAD. "what." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "what." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-what.html

T. F. HOAD. "what." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-what.html

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