Online Etymology Dictionary

whale (n.): Old English hwæl "whale," also "walrus," from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz (source also of Old Saxon hwal, Old Norse hvalr, hvalfiskr, Swedish val, Middle Dutch wal, walvisc, Dutch walvis, Old High German wal, German Wal), from PIE *(s)kwal-o- (source also of Latin squalus "a kind of large sea fish"). Phrase whale of a "excellent or large example" is c. 1900, student slang. Whale-oil attested from mid-15c.
whale (v.2): "beat, whip severely," 1790, possibly a variant of wale (v.) "to mark with 'wales' or stripes" (early 15c.), from wale (n.). Related: Whaled; whaling.
whale (v.1): "pursue the business of whale-fishing," 1700, from whale (n.). Whale-fishing is attested from 1570s.
whalebone (n.): also whale-bone, c. 1200, from whale (n.) + bone (n.).
whaler (n.): 1680s of a person, 1806 of a boat, agent noun from whale (v.). Old English had hwælhunta.
whaling (n.): "whale-fishing," 1716, verbal noun from whale (v.).
wham (n.): "a heavy blow," 1923, of echoic origin.
whammo: exclamation signifying violence or surprise, 1932, from wham (q.v.).
whammy (n.): often double whammy, "hex, evil eye," 1932, of unknown origin, popularized 1941 in Al Capp's comic strip "Li'l Abner," where it was the specialty of Evil-Eye Fleegle.
whangdoodle (n.): name of an imaginary creature or thing, 1858, American English, fanciful formation.
wharf (n.): late Old English hwearf "shore, bank where ships can tie up," earlier "dam, embankment," from Proto-Germanic *hwarfaz (source also of Middle Low German werf "mole, dam, wharf," German Werft "shipyard, dockyard"); related to Old English hwearfian "to turn," perhaps in a sense implying "busy activity," from PIE root *kwerp- "to turn, revolve" (source also of Old Norse hverfa "to turn round," German werben "to enlist, solicit, court, woo," Gothic hvairban "to wander," Greek kartos "wrist," Sanskrit surpam "winnowing fan"). Wharf rat is from 1812 as "type of rat common on ships and docks;" extended sense "person who hangs around docks" is recorded from 1836.
wharfinger (n.): "operator or manager of a wharf," 1550s, from wharfage "provision or accomodation at wharves" (mid-15c.), from wharf + agent noun suffix -er (1) + intrusive -n- as in messenger.
what (pron.): Old English hwæt, referring to things in abstraction; also "why, wherefore; indeed, surely, truly," from Proto-Germanic pronoun *hwat (source also of Old Saxon hwat, Old Norse hvat, Danish hvad, Old Frisian hwet, Dutch wat, Old High German hwaz, German was, Gothic hva "what"), from PIE *kwod, neuter singular of *kwos "who" (see who). Corresponding to Latin quid.

Meaning "what did you say?" is recorded from c. 1300. As an adjective and adverb, in Old English. As a conjunction in late Old English. Exclamatory use was in Old English. What the _____ (devil, etc.) as an exclamation of surprise is from late 14c. As an interrogative expletive at the end of sentences from 1891; common in affected British speech. Or what as an alternative end to a question is first attested 1766. What have you "anything else one can think of" is from 1925. What's up? "what is happening?" first recorded 1881.

"To give one what for is to respond to his remonstrant what for? by further assault" [Weekley]. The phrase is attested from 1873; what for? as introducing a question is from 1760. To know what is what is from c. 1400; I'll tell you what to emphasize what is about to be said is in Shakespeare.
whatchamacallit (n.): 1928, compressed form of phrase "what you may call it." What-do-you-call-it is from 1630s. Earliest recorded variant is what-calle-ye-hym, attested from late 15c. What's-his-name for "unspecified person" is attested from 1690s; variant what's-his-face is first recorded 1967.
whatever (pron.): mid-14c., "what in the world," emphatic of what, with ever. From late 14c. as "anything at all; all of; no matter what or who." From late 14c. as an adjective, "any sort of, any, every; no matter what, regardless of what." From 1870 as "whatever may be the cause, at any event," which could be the source of the modern teen slang dismissive use.
whatnot (n.): also what-not, 1530s, "anything," from what + not. Elliptical for "what may I not say," implying "everything else." As the name of a furniture item, first attested 1808, so named for the objects it is meant to hold.
whatsoever (pron.): "of whatever nature, kind, or sort," mid-13c., quuat-so-euere, from whatso "whatever" (c. 1200; see what), an emphatic referring to things, + ever. A double intensive of what. As an adjective from mid-15c.
wheal (n.): "mark made on the skin by a whip," 1808, perhaps an alteration of wale, possibly by confusion with weal "welt," and obsolete wheal "pimple, pustule" (mid-15c.), from Old English verb hwelian "to form pus, bring to a head."
wheat (n.): Old English hwæte "wheat," from Proto-Germanic *hwaitjaz (source also of Old Saxon hweti, Old Norse hveiti, Norwegian kveite, Old Frisian hwete, Middle Dutch, Dutch weit, Old High German weizzi, German Weizen, Gothic hvaiteis "wheat"), literally "that which is white" (in reference to the grain or the meal), from PIE *kwoid-yo-, suffixed variant form of root *kweid-, *kweit- "to shine" (see white; and compare Welsh gwenith "wheat," related to gwenn "white"). The Old World grain was introduced into New Spain in 1528. Wheaties, the cereal brand name, was patented 1925.
wheatear (n.): type of bird, 1590s, back-formation from white-ears, literally "white-arse" (see white + arse). So called for its color markings; compare French name for the bird, cul-blanc, literally "white rump."
wheaten (adj.): "made of wheat," Old English hwæten; see wheat + -en (2).
whee: exclamation of exhilaration, 1920.
wheedle (v.): "to influence by flattery," 1660s, of uncertain origin, perhaps connected with Old English wædlian "to beg," from wædl "poverty" [OED], or borrowed by English soldiers in the 17c. German wars from German wedeln "wag the tail," hence "fawn, flatter" (compare adulation). Related: Wheedled; wheedling.
wheel (v.): "to turn like a wheel," c. 1200, from wheel (n.); transitive sense attested from late 14c. Related: Wheeled; wheeling.
wheel (n.): Old English hweol, hweogol "wheel," from Proto-Germanic *hwewlaz- (source also of Old Norse hvel, Old Swedish hiughl, Old Frisian hwel, Middle Dutch weel), from PIE *kw(e)-kwl-o- "wheel, circle," suffixed, reduplicated form of root *kwel- (1) forming words to do with turning, rolling, and wheels (see cycle (n.)).
The root wegh-, "to convey, especially by wheeled vehicle," is found in virtually every branch of Indo-European, including now Anatolian. The root, as well as other widely represented roots such as aks- and nobh-, attests to the presence of the wheel -- and vehicles using it -- at the time Proto-Indo-European was spoken. [Watkins, p. 96]
Figurative sense is early 14c. Wheel of fortune attested from early 15c. Slang wheels "a car" is recorded from 1959. Wheeler-dealer is from 1954, a rhyming elaboration of dealer.
wheel-house (n.): also wheelhouse, 1835, "structure enclosing a large wheel," especially one over the steering wheel of a steamboat, thus "pilot house;" from wheel (n.) + house (n.). Baseball slang sense of "a hitter's power zone" attested by 1990.
wheelbarrow (n.): mid-14c., from wheel (n.) + barrow (n.1).
wheelchair (n.): also wheel-chair, c. 1700, from wheel + chair (n.).
wheelie (n.): 1966, from wheel (n.) + -ie.
wheelwright (n.): "one who makes or fits wheels," c. 1300 (mid-13c. as a surname), from wheel (n.) + wright (n.).
wheeze (v.): mid-15c., probably from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse hvoesa "to hiss," Danish hvæse cognate with Old English hwæst "act of blowing," hwosan "to cough," from an imitative root. Related: Wheezed; wheezing. The noun is first recorded 1834.
wheezy (adj.): 1818, from wheeze + -y (2). Related: Wheezily; wheeziness.
whelk (n.): marine snail with a spiral shell, Old English weoloc, wioloc, from Proto-Germanic *weluka- (source also of Middle Dutch willoc, Dutch wulk), perhaps from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve" (see volvox; also volute). The unetymological spelling with wh- dates from 15c.
whelm (v.): early 14c., probably from a parallel form of Old English -hwielfan (West Saxon), -hwelfan (Mercian), in ahwelfan "cover over;" probably altered by association with Old English helmian "to cover," from Proto-Germanic *hwalbjan, from PIE *kwelp- "to arch" (see gulf (n.)).
whelp (n.): Old English hwelp "whelp, young of the dog," from a Germanic root related to Old Saxon hwelp, Old Norse hvelpr, Dutch welp, German hwelf; of unknown origin. Now largely displaced by puppy. Also applied to wild animals. Sense of "scamp" first recorded early 14c.
whelp (v.): c. 1200, from whelp (n.). Related: Whelped; whelping.
when (adv.): Old English hwænne, hwenne, hwonne, from Proto-Germanic *hwan- (source also of Old Saxon hwan, Old Frisian hwenne, Middle Dutch wan, Old High German hwanne, German wann "when," wenn "if, whenever"), from pronominal stem *hwa-, from PIE interrogative base *kwo- (see who). Equivalent to Latin quom, cum. As a conjunction in late Old English. Say when "tell me when to stop pouring you this drink" is from 1889.
whenas (adv., conj.): early 15c., from when + as.
Whenas in silks my Julia goes
Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows
That liquefaction of her clothes.

[Robert Herrick (1591-1674)]
whence (adv., conj.): early 13c., whennes, with adverbial genitive -s, from Old English hwanone, related to hwænne (see when). Spelling with -ce (1520s) reflects the voiceless pronunciation.
whenever (adv., conj.): late 14c., from when + ever.
where (adv.): Old English hwær, hwar "at what place," from Proto-Germanic adverb *hwar (source also of Old Saxon hwar, Old Norse hvar, Old Frisian hwer, Middle Dutch waer, Old High German hwar, German wo, Gothic hvar "where"), equivalent to Latin cur, from PIE interrogative base *kwo- (see who). Where it's at attested from 1903.
whereabout (adv.): "near what place," early 14c. as an interrogatory word, from where + about.
whereabouts (adv.): "in what place," early 15c., from whereabout + adverbial genitive -s. The noun, "place where someone or something is," is recorded from 1795. Whereabout in this sense is from c. 1600.
whereas (adv.): mid-14c., "where;" early 15c. as a conjunction, "in consideration of the fact that," from where + as.
whereat (adv.): mid-13c., from where + at.
whereby (adv.): c. 1200, from where + by.
wherefore (adv.): c. 1200, hwarfore, from where + for. Similar formation in Dutch waarvoor, Old Norse hvar fyrir, Swedish varfor.
wherein (adv.): early 13c., from where + in. Similar formation in Dutch waarin, German worin, Swedish vari, Danish hvori.
whereof (adv.): c. 1200, from where + of. Similar formation in Swedish hveraf, Danish hvoraf, Dutch waarvan.
whereon (adv.): c. 1200, from where + on (adv.).