how

how · adverb, conjunction, interjection, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷ-
2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷís
3. Proto-Germanic*hwō
4. Old Englishhū
5. Middle Englishhow
6. English todayhow

From Middle English how, hou, hu, hwu, from Old English hū, from Proto-West Germanic *hwō, from Proto-Germanic *hwō (“through what, how”), from the same root as hwæt (“who, what”). /hw/ > /h/ due to wh-cluster reduction in Old English; compare who, which underwent this change later, and thus is spelt wh (Middle English spelling of /hw/) but pronounced /h/ (it previously had a different vowel, hence avoided the spelling and sound change in Old English). Vowel change per Great Vowel Shift. Akin to Scots hoo, foo (“how”), North Frisian ho, hü, hur (“how”), Saterland Frisian wo (“how”), West Frisian hoe (“how”), Dutch hoe (“how”), Low German ho, wo, wu (“how”), German wie (“how”), Swedish hur (“how”). See who and compare why.

how · noun²

1. Old Norse · derived fromhaugr“a how, mound”
2. Old English · inherited fromhōh“promontory”
3. Middle English · inherited fromhowe
4. English todayhow

From Middle English howe, hough, hogh, partly from Old English hōh (“promontory”), and partly from Old Norse haugr (“a how, mound”). Compare Old French höe (“hillock, hill”), from the same Germanic source.

how · interjection³

1. Wyandot · derived fromhaau
2. Siouan · derived from-
3. English todayhow

From a Siouan language; compare Lakota háu. Alternatively from Wyandot haau.

Words from the same roots