Middle English word whether comes from Proto-Indo-European *kʷ-, Proto-Indo-European *kʷe-, Proto-Indo-European *kʷo-, Proto-Indo-European *-teros (Contrastive or oppositional adjectival suffix.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *kʷ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *kʷe- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *kʷo- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *-teros | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | Contrastive or oppositional adjectival suffix. |
| *kʷód, kʷod | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *kʷís | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | Who, what (interrogative). Who, which, that (relative) Which, what. |
| *hwat | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | |
| *kʷóteros | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | Which of two. |
| *hwaþeraz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | (interrogative) which, what (of two). |
| hwæþer | Old English (ang) | Which (of the two). |
| whether | Middle English (enm) |