whey

whey · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kʷey-“to pile up, build”
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*hwaij“whey”
3. Old English · inherited fromhwǣġ
4. Middle English · inherited fromwhey
5. English todaywhey

From Middle English whey, wheye, whei, from Old English hwǣġ, hwæiġ, hwæġ, hweġ (“whey”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwaij (“whey”) (cognate with Saterland Frisian Waai, Woaie, West Frisian waai, Dutch wei, Low German Wei, German Low German Wei), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- (“to pile up, build”) (compare Old Church Slavonic чинъ (činŭ, “order”), Ancient Greek ποιέω (poiéō, “to pile up, make”), Sanskrit कय (káya, “every one”)).

whey · interjection²

Onomatopoeic, variation on wahey.

Words from the same roots