who
English
/huː/
pron
Definitions
- (interrogative) What person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone. (used in a direct or indirect question)
- (interrogative) What is one's position; asks whether someone deserves to say or do something.
- (relative) The person or people that.
- (relative) Whoever, he who, they who.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English who inherited from Old English hwā (who) inherited from Proto-Germanic *hwaz (who) derived from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos (which, adverbial suffix, who, that), *kʷ-.
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*kʷ-
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- 'a English
- Who-athon English
- else English
- elsewho English
- ever English
- everwhich English
- everwho English
- every English
- know English
- like English
- soever English
- which English
- which've English
- whichever English
- who'da English
- who've English
- whoever English
- whose English
- whosoever English
- you English
- you-know-who English
- ei-kenenkään-maa Finnish
- kuka Finnish
- kukaties Finnish
- kukin Finnish
- kukkakasvi Finnish
- kumpi Finnish
- kutakuinkin Finnish
- quod Latin
- quī Latin
- Werfall German
- wer German
- che Italian
- waarvoor Dutch, Flemish
- welks Dutch, Flemish
- wie Dutch, Flemish
- wiens Dutch, Flemish
- que French
- aunque Spanish, Castilian
- conque Spanish, Castilian
- dizque Spanish, Castilian
- porque Spanish, Castilian
- que Spanish, Castilian
- queísmo Spanish, Castilian
- ποσός Ancient Greek
- ποτέ Ancient Greek
- που Ancient Greek
- πως Ancient Greek
- πόθεν Ancient Greek
- πότερος Ancient Greek
- ἕκαστος Ancient Greek
- ὁπότε Ancient Greek
- ὅπως Ancient Greek
- *kʷ- Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷe- Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷey Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷis Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷis, *kʷos Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷis, *kʷosyo Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷis, kʷos Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷo- Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷokʷe Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷos Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷoti Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷód Proto-Indo-European
- *kʷóteros Proto-Indo-European
- *ne Proto-Indo-European
- hvem Norwegian Bokmål
- porque Portuguese
- que Portuguese
- ser Portuguese
- *hwammai Proto-Germanic
- *hwanǭ Proto-Germanic
- *hwar Proto-Germanic
- *hwarjaz Proto-Germanic
- *hwat Proto-Germanic
- *hwaz Proto-Germanic
- *hwaþeraz Proto-Germanic
- *hwi-, *hwaz Proto-Germanic
- *hwilīkaz Proto-Germanic
- *hwō Proto-Germanic
- kven Norwegian Nynorsk
- gehwa Old English
- hwa Old English
- hwanone Old English
- hwā Old English
- क Sanskrit
- ककार Sanskrit
- कद Sanskrit
- कश्चित् Sanskrit
- मुष्क Sanskrit
- ho Middle English
- wha Middle English
- which Middle English
- who Middle English
- hvar Old Norse
- hvat Old Norse
- hveim Old Norse
- hverr Old Norse
- hvem Danish
- hvemsomhelst Danish
- hvilken Danish
- *kogъda Proto-Slavic
- *kъjь Proto-Slavic
- *kъto Proto-Slavic
- ke Esperanto
- goshver Icelandic
- hver Icelandic
- कगार Hindi
- pan Welsh
- waeromme Middle Dutch
- wie Middle Dutch
- wer Old High German
- whois Translingual
- cuin Old Irish
- wer Middle High German
- 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰 Gothic
- 𐍈𐌰𐍃 Gothic
- *hwaʀ gmw-pro
- *wan ēr Old Dutch
- que Old Portuguese
- *ku Proto-Finnic
- ka Pali
- काय Pali
- ber Cimbrian
- bèar Cimbrian
- ક્યાં Gujarati
- *kʷoi Proto-Italic
- wha Scots
- whae Scots
- *kás Proto-Indo-Aryan
- wa Western Frisian
- hwā Old Frisian
- 𑀓𑁄 Sauraseni Prakrit
- *tan Proto-Albanian
- *kas Proto-Balto-Slavic
- ki Kabuverdianu
- kusé Kabuverdianu
- wer Hunsrik
- hwa Old Danish
- que Indo-Portuguese
- hu Kriol
- ki Kristang