Whoever
/huːˈevər/noun
Any person who; whatever person.
Did you know?“Whoever” is built from the ancient interrogative root for “who,” combined with an Old English compound meaning “every” or “ever,” showing how questions became a universal force-word.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷis
“who, what person”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hwanaz
“who”
Old English
OE
hwā
“who”
Old English
OE
ǣfre
“ever, at any time”
Middle English
ME
who so ever
“whoever, any person who”
Modern English
English
whoever
“any person who; whatever person”