Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Ewe” come from?

Ewe comes from Old English ēowu, from Proto-Germanic awiz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ówis, a derivative of the root h₂ew- meaning sheep.

Ewe (English): A female sheep, as opposed to a ram

Definitions

  1. A female sheep, as opposed to a ram

Ancestry of “Ewe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englisheweewe; Alternative form of ew
2Old Englishēowuewe
3Proto-Germanicawizewe; sheep in general
4Frenchavisopinion; piece of advice; notice
5Middle Frenchadvisopinion
6Dutchadviesadvice
7Middle Dutchavijs—
8Old Frenchavisopinion
9Old Frenchato; towards; belonging to
10LatinA—
11Etruscan𐌀—
12Ancient Greekᾱ̔—
13Phoenician𐤀ox; aleph; alef
14Egyptian𓃾—

Words derived from “Ewe”

  • ewe-necked
Every word from Egyptian 𓃾 →