Whenever
/wɛnˈɛvər/noun
At any time that; at whatever time.
Did you know?Whenever is a compound of the ancient interrogative/relative root *when* plus ever, where ever once meant “at any time at all,” giving the word its open-ended, almost incantatory force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷo- / *kʷi-
“Interrogative and relative root meaning “who? what? which?””
Old English
English
hwænne
““when, at what time””
Old English
English
æfre
““ever, at any time””
Middle English
English
whan evere / whanne evere
““at whatever time; whenever””
Modern English
English
whenever
““at any time that; whenever””