איכשהו (ekhshhu) — somehow
Etymology
The word איכשהו ("somehow") is a grammatical compound of the interrogative/adverbial particle אֵיךְ (eikh, "how") with the relative clause שֶׁהוּא (sheh-hu, "that it is/that he is"), following a productive Hebrew pattern for forming indefinite pronouns and adverbs. The structure parallels other indefinite compounds like מִישֶׁהוּ ("someone"), מַשֶּׁהוּ ("something"), מָתַישֶׁהוּ ("sometime"), and אֵיפֹשֶׁהוּ ("somewhere").
The form "איך שהוא" (ikh she-hu, "however it may be") was in use throughout 19th-century Hebrew. The contracted compound form "איכשהו" appears to have emerged in the early 20th century as a natural colloquial contraction.
The linguist Yitzhak Avinery apparently wrote a column in Al HaMishmar (April 29, 1954) complaining about compound formations using the prefix "אי-" (the interrogative particle), suggesting there was prescriptivist resistance to this class of formations in the 1950s. Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv, 1816–1893) is documented using the form "אי אז" in the 19th century, indicating this class of formation was already underway in traditional Hebrew writing before its modern expansion.
Note: The source file for this entry is incomplete and contains mostly research notes. The entry is based on what content is available.
Timeline
- 19th century: Form "איך שהוא" in use in Hebrew writing
- 19th century: Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin uses "אי אז" (some time ago) in traditional Hebrew writing
- Early 20th century: Compound form "איכשהו" develops
- April 29, 1954: Yitzhak Avinery criticizes compound "אי-" formations in Al HaMishmar
Related Words
- מִישֶׁהוּ — someone; formed from מִי ("who") + שֶׁהוּא
- מַשֶּׁהוּ — something; formed from מָה ("what") + שֶׁהוּא
- אֵיפֹשֶׁהוּ — somewhere; formed from אֵיפֹה ("where") + שֶׁהוּא
- מָתַישֶׁהוּ — sometime; formed from מָתַי ("when") + שֶׁהוּא
- כָּלְשֶׁהוּ — some (quantity); formed from כָּל + שֶׁהוּא