Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hwaþeraz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *kʷóteros (“which of two”), from *kʷos (“which”). Cognate with Sanskrit कतर (katará), Ancient Greek πότερος (póteros), Proto-Slavic *koterъjь / *kotorъjь, Latin uter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxʷɑ.θe.rɑz/

Determiner

*hwaþeraz

1. which, what (of two, interrogative)

Inflection

Declension of *hwaþeraz (a-stem, strong only)

Strong declension
	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*hwaþeraz	*hwaþerō	*hwaþerą, *-at(ō)		*hwaþerai	*hwaþerôz	*hwaþerō
accusative	*hwaþeranǭ	*hwaþerǭ	*hwaþerą, *-at(ō)		*hwaþeranz	*hwaþerōz	*hwaþerō
genitive	*hwaþeras, *hwaþiris	*hwaþeraizōz	*hwaþeras, *hwaþiris		*hwaþeraizǫ̂	*hwaþeraizǫ̂	*hwaþeraizǫ̂
dative	*hwaþerammai	*hwaþeraizōi	*hwaþerammai		*hwaþeraimaz	*hwaþeraimaz	*hwaþeraimaz
instrumental	*hwaþeranō	*hwaþeraizō	*hwaþeranō		*hwaþeraimiz	*hwaþeraimiz	*hwaþeraimiz

Derived terms

• *hwaþerazuh

Related terms

• *hwaz
• *hwarjaz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *hwaþar
  • Old English: hwæþer
    • Middle English: whether
      • Scots: quhether, quhither, whedder
      • English: whether
    • ⇒ Old English: ǣġhwæþer, ǣġþer, (contraction) āþer
      • Middle English: either, ayther, æȝþer, ethir, eiþer, outher
        • English: either
        • Scots: aither
  • Old Frisian: hweder
  • Old Saxon: hwēthar
  • Old Dutch: *wether
    • Middle Dutch: weder
      • Dutch: weder, weer
        • Afrikaans: weer
      • Limburgish: wieër
  • Old High German: wedar
    • Middle High German: weder
      • Alemannic German: weder
      • Cimbrian: bèdar
      • German: weder
• Old Norse: hvaðarr, hvárr
  • Icelandic: hvor; hvorki (from Old Norse hvárt + -gi)
  • Faroese: hvørki
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kvar, korkje, kven
  • Old Swedish: hvār; hvarke, hvarkin
    • Swedish: var; varken
  • Danish: hver
    • Norwegian Bokmål: hver
• Gothic: 𐍈𐌰𐌸𐌰𐍂 (ƕaþar)

Further reading

• Ringe, Donald (2006) From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎^[2], Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN