[ gdw]
Whereas the etymon of this form is Latin qalis + cumque, the word often seems to have been interpreted, both by medieval scribes and modern editors, as quel1 + que1 + unc, and many variants seem to reflect this (e.g. quelqunke may also be read as quel q’unke). Whereas (apparently) straightforward instances of quel que unc or quel unc have been consigned as locutions under quelque and quel1 respectively, most other usages are listed in the AND as variants (or deviants) of quelcunque.