what的词源
英文词源
- what
- what: [OE] What traces its history right back to Indo-European *qwod, which also produced Latin quod ‘what’. The Germanic descendant of this was *khwat, which has evolved into German was, Dutch wat, Swedish vad, Danish hvad, and English what.
- what (pron.)
- Old English hwæt, referring to things in abstraction; also "why, wherefore; indeed, surely, truly," from Proto-Germanic pronoun *hwat (cognates: Old Saxon hwat, Old Norse hvat, Danish hvad, Old Frisian hwet, Dutch wat, Old High German hwaz, German was, Gothic hva "what"), from PIE *kwod, neuter singular of *kwos "who" (see who). Corresponding to Latin quid.
Meaning "what did you say?" is recorded from c. 1300. As an adjective and adverb, in Old English. As a conjunction in late Old English. Exclamatory use was in Old English. What the _____ (devil, etc.) as an exclamation of surprise is from late 14c. As an interrogative expletive at the end of sentences from 1891; common in affected British speech. Or what as an alternative end to a question is first attested 1766. What have you "anything else one can think of" is from 1925. What's up? "what is happening?" first recorded 1881.
"To give one what for is to respond to his remonstrant what for? by further assault" [Weekley]. The phrase is attested from 1873; what for? as introducing a question is from 1760. To know what is what is from c. 1400; I'll tell you what to emphasize what is about to be said is in Shakespeare.
中文词源
来自PIE*kwo,印欧语疑问代词根，词源同who,where,why,how.
该词的英语词源请访问找单词词源英文版：what 词源，what 含义。
来自 PIE*kwo,疑问代词词干，词源同 who,where,why,how.
