hwat

Middle English

Pronoun

hwat

  1. (chiefly in Early Middle English) alternative form of what

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hwat. Compare Old English hwæt, Old Frisian hwet, Old High German waz, Old Dutch wat, Old Norse hvat, Gothic 𐍈𐌰 (ƕa).

Pronoun

hwat n

  1. what
    • 9th c. Heliand, verse 4409
      Sō hwat sō gī dādun...
      Whatever you did...
    • 9th c. Heliand, verse 4481
      "Hwat williad gī mī sellien hēr?", quađ hē...
      "What will you give me here?", said he...
    • 9th c. Heliand, verse 5542
      "Hwand sia ni witun, hwat sia [duot]",
      "For they do not know what they do"
  2. what kind (+genitive)
    • 9th c. Heliand, verse 5342
      "Hwat bist thū manno?"
      "What kind of man are you?"

Declension

Declension of hwat
impersonal personal
nominative hwat hwē
accusative hwat hwēna
genitive hwes hwes
dative hwēmu hwēmu

Interjection

hwat

  1. lo!, what!, indeed!

Usage notes

Variously translated, but compare Old English hwæt.

Descendants

  • Low German: wat
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