hwatu

Old English

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hwatu (“warning”), from Proto-Germanic *hwatō (“incitement”); compare Old Norse hvǫt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxwɑ.tu/, [ˈʍɑ.tu]

Noun

hwatu f

1. omen, augury
2. divination

Declension

Declension of hwatu (strong ō-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	hwatu	hwata, hwate
accusative	hwate	hwata, hwate
genitive	hwate	hwata
dative	hwate	hwatum

Derived terms

• hwata

Descendants

• Middle English: whate, ȝwate, quate, qwate, wate, what; hwate

References

• Angus Cameron, Ashley Crandell Amos, Antonette diPaolo Healey, editors (2018), “hwatu”, in Dictionary of Old English: A to I ⁠‎^[1], Toronto: University of Toronto, →OCLC.