English word who comes from interrogative Proto-Indo-European roots *kʷ-, *kʷe-, *kʷo-, and later Old English (ca. 450-1100) hwa (who)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *kʷ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | Primary interrogative root in Indo-European |
| *kʷe- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *kʷo- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *kʷód, kʷod | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *kʷís | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | Who, what (interrogative). Who, which, that (relative) Which, what. |
| *hwaz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | (interrogative) who, what. (interrogative, in dative) whom. (interrogative, in genitive) whose. (interrogative, in instrumental) with whom, with what, how, in what way. |
| hwā | Old English (ca. 450-1100) (ang) | |
| hwa | Old English (ca. 450-1100) (ang) | Anyone. Who. |
| huo | Middle English (1100-1500) (enm) | |
| who | English (en) | A person under discussion; a question of which person. (interrogative) What is one's position; asks whether someone deserves to say or do something.. (interrogative) What person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone. (used in a direct or indirect question). (relative) The person or people that.. (relative, archaic) Whoever, he who, they who. |