1740, "in any way or manner," from any + how (adv.). Unlike most other any + (interrogative) compounds, there is no record of it in Old or Middle English. Compare anyway (16c.). Also used as a conjunction, "in any case." Emphatic form any old how is recorded from 1900, American English.

late 14c., from how + ever.

late 14c., how so evere "no matter how, however," an emphatic form of how-so "in what(ever) way" (late Old English hu se), from how (adv.) + so (adv.); + ever.

A parallel and earlier form in Middle English was howsomever (early 14c.), which survived through 18c. in provincial English and after that was counted a vulgar Americanism by English writers; it is the same compound but with the obsolete conjunction sum, from Old Norse sem "as, that" (cognate with Danish and Swedish som) in place of so.

also knowhow, "technical expertise," 1838, American English, from know (v.) + how (adv.).

1775, "not at all, in no manner, not in any way," colloquial, from no + how, on model of nowhere. In old slang also "out of sorts" (1779).

1660s, "in some way not yet known," from some + how. First attested in phrase somehow or other. Earlier as "in some manner, by some means or other" was someway, someways, from Middle English somes-weies (c. 1200).

also *kwi-, Proto-Indo-European root, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns.

It might form all or part of: cheese (n.2) "a big thing;" cue (n.1) "stage direction;" either; hidalgo; how; kickshaw; neither; neuter; qua; quality; quandary; quantity; quasar; quasi; quasi-; query; quibble; quiddity; quidnunc; quip; quodlibet; quondam; quorum; quote; quotidian; quotient; ubi; ubiquity; what; when; whence; where; whether; which; whither; who; whoever; whom; whose; why.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit kah "who, which;" Avestan ko, Hittite kuish "who;" Latin quis/quid "in what respect, to what extent; how, why," qua "where, which way," qui/quae/quod "who, which;" Lithuanian kas "who;" Old Church Slavonic kuto, Russian kto "who;" Old Irish ce, Welsh pwy "who;" Old English hwa, hwæt, hwær, etc.