whose | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

405 entries found.

genitive of who; from Old English hwæs, genitive of hwa "who," from PIE root *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns.

*kwo-

also *kwi-, Proto-Indo-European root, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns.

It forms all or part of: cheese (n.2) "a big thing;" cue (n.1) "stage direction;" either; hidalgo; how; kickshaw; neither; neuter; qua; quality; quandary; quantity; quasar; quasi; quasi-; query; quib; quibble; quiddity; quidnunc; quip; quodlibet; quondam; quorum; quote; quotidian; quotient; ubi; ubiquity; what; when; whence; where; whether; which; whither; who; whoever; whom; whose; why.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit kah "who, which;" Avestan ko, Hittite kuish "who;" Latin quis/quid "in what respect, to what extent; how, why," qua "where, which way," qui/quae/quod "who, which;" Lithuanian kas "who;" Old Church Slavonic kuto, Russian kto "who;" Old Irish ce, Welsh pwy "who;" Old English hwa, hwæt, hwær, etc.

rantallion (n.)

"One whose scrotum is so relaxed as to be longer than his penis, i. e. whose shot pouch is longer than the barrel of his piece." ["Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," Grose, 1785]

-iana

form of -ana (q.v.) with nouns whose adjectival forms end in -ian.

cabinet-maker (n.)

"one whose occupation is the making of household furniture," 1680s, from cabinet + maker.

copyist (n.)

"one whose occupation is to transcribe documents," 1690s, from copy (n.) + -ist. Earlier was copist (1580s).

rat-catcher (n.)

"one whose business is the catching of rats, a ratter," 1590s, from rat (n.) + catcher.

optometrist (n.)

"one whose profession is to measure the range and power of vision," 1903; see optometry + -ist.

Latin America

1862; see Latin (adj.). The notion is the nations whose languages descend from Latin. Related: Latin American (adj.), 1871.

Shasta

mountain in California, named for local native tribe, for whose name Bright offers no etymology.

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