Etymograph

English

when

When comes from Middle English when(ne), from Old English hwonne, from Proto-Germanic *hwan, ultimately from PIE *kʷ- ‘interrogative root’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷ-1‘interrogative root’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷís1‘who, what’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hwaz1‘who, what’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hwan1‘when, at what time’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hwan1reconstructed
  6. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hwannē1reconstructed
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150hwonne1
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500when(ne)1
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592when1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English when
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “Why when I ſay?[…]Off with my boots, you rogues:…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷ-Wiktionary, English when‘interrogative root’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷísWiktionary, English when‘who, what’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hwazWiktionary, English when‘who, what’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hwanWiktionary, English when‘when, at what time’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hwanWiktionary, English whenreconstructed
  6. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hwannēWiktionary, English whenreconstructed
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150hwonneWiktionary, English when
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500when(ne)Wiktionary, English when
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592whenWiktionary, English when. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “Why when I ſay?[…]Off with my boots, you rogues:…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with when, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- ‘the primary interrogative root’

  • which ← hwelċ ← *hwilīkaz ← *hwaz ← *kʷos
  • who ← hwā ← *hwaʀ ← *hwaz ← *kʷos
  • whose ← whos ← hwæs ← *hwes ← *hwaz
  • whether ← hweþer ← *hwaþar ← *hwaþeraz ← *hwaz
  • whom ← hwām ← *hwammai ← *hwaz ← *kʷos
  • neutral ← neutrālis ← neuter ← uter ← *kʷoteros
  • quantity ← quantite ← quantité ← quantitās ← quantus
  • ubiquitous ← ubīquitās ← ubīque ← ubī̆ ← cubī
  • rapunzel ← raponzolo ← rapa ← rāpa ← neuter
  • ubiquity ← ubīquitās ← ubīque ← ubī̆ ← cubī
  • whither ← whider ← hwider ← *hwadrê ← *kʷos
  • cadenza ← cadentia ← cadēns ← neuter ← uter

25 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

adv At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “when”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- / when