Where does “alewife” come from?
alewife (English) comes from English ale, from Italian alé, from French allez, from French aller, from Latin īre, from Proto-Italic eō, from Proto-Italic ejō, from Proto-Indo-European h₁éyti — to go.
alewife (English): A woman who keeps an alehouse; A migrating North...
Definitions
- A woman who keeps an alehouse; A migrating North...
Ancestry of “alewife”, step by step
alewife traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ale
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ale | A beer made without hops; A beer produced by... |
| 2 | Italian | alé | let's go!, come on! |
| 3 | French | allez | second-person plural present indicative of aller;... |
| 4 | French | aller | to go |
| 5 | Latin | īre | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | eō | I go |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | ejō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁éyti | to go, to be going |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ey- | to go |
via English wife
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wife | A married woman, especially in relation to her... |
| 2 | Middle English | wyf | Alternative form of wif |
| 3 | Old English | wīf | wife; woman, female, lady, wife; female |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wīb | woman; wife |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wībą | woman; wife |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰwíh₂bʰ- | shame, pudenda |