whither (adv., conj.)

Old English hwider, from Proto-Germanic *hwithre-, from *hwi- "who" (from PIE root *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns) + ending as in hither and thither. Compare Gothic hvadre.

Entries linking to whither

*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.

hither (adv.)

Old English hider, from Proto-Germanic *hithra- (source also of Old Norse heðra "here," Gothic hidre "hither"), from PIE *kitro-, suffixed variant form of root *ko-, the stem of demonstrative pronoun meaning "this" (compare here). Spelling change from -d- to -th- is the same evolution seen in father, etc. Relation to here is the same as that of thither to there.