English word origin

Etymology of whoso

From Middle English hoe so, hoo so, hoo-so, from Old English hwā swā; equivalent to who + so.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

pron

whosoever, whatever person

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English hoe so, hoo so, hoo-so, from Old English hwā swā; equivalent to who + so.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionhoe soenm
Inherited-form mentionhwā swāang
Compound componentwhoen
Compound componentsoen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hoe so"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hoe so"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hwā swā"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hwā swā"
    },
    {
      "name": "compound",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "who",
        "3": "so"
      },
      "expansion": "who + so"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hoe so",
      "hoe so#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hoo so",
      "hoo so#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hoo-so",
      "hoo-so#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hwā",
      "hwa#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "swā",
      "swa#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "who",
      "who#English"
    ],
    [
      "so",
      "so#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "pron",
      "glosses": [
        "whosoever, whatever person"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "03e5e9b9d17a3367f6eed8a011b8d6854a1806623b1dcaed6aa9649b2771c93c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6dafe480448dd03e86cf6f4ac8971620f4a4501aa3c98c090add3256227f82b2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 519091
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for whoso →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-d2hvc28