hwonne

Old English

Alternative forms

• hwanne, hwænne

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hwannā, extension of *hwan, from Proto-Germanic *hwan. Cognate with Old High German wanna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxwon.ne/, [ˈʍon.ne]

Adverb

hwonne

1. when
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Purification of St. Mary"

     Ēlā, hwænne cymð sē Hǣlend?

     Ah! when will the Saviour come?

Usage notes

• Hwænne is the dominant spelling in Ælfric, hwonne in most early texts including the writings of Alfred.
• Hwonne only means "when" in an interrogative sense, i.e. when forming direct or indirect questions. For "when" when it is used to introduce a dependent clause that is not a question, þā is used for past-tense clauses, or þonne otherwise.

Descendants

• Middle English: whanne
  • English: when
  • Scots: whan
  • Yola: fan, van, phen