Etymology

anyhow

A1N1Y4H4O1W4

Today it means: In any way or manner whatever. Full definition →

English how ← Middle English how ← Old English hū
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ís?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óynos
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁oy-no-kós
  4. Proto-Germanic*ainagaz
  5. Proto-West Germanic*ainag
  6. Old Englishǣniġ
  7. Middle Englishani
  8. Englishany
  9. Proto-Indo-European*kʷ-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*kʷís
  11. Proto-Germanic*hwō
  12. Old Englishhū
  13. Middle Englishhow
  14. Englishhow
  15. English todayanyhow

From any + how.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.