DictionaryRoot: hwæt
Old English
hwæt
what
2 / 2
pronoun / determiner / adjective / interjection
whatever
wut-EV-er/wˌʌtˈɛvɝ/
Anything that applies, without restriction.
Etymology
“What” identifies a thing, while “ever” broadens the scope to any circumstances. Together they developed from emphatic “what in the world” to “anything at all, no matter what.”