Where does “bed wench” come from?
bed wench (English) comes from English bed, from Middle English bed, from Old English bedd, from Proto-West Germanic badi, from Persian بدی, from Persian بد, from Middle Persian 𐭯𐭥𐭭, from Proto-Iranian pati- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
bed wench (English): A low-status concubine, often a slave or captive
Definitions
- A low-status concubine, often a slave or captive
Ancestry of “bed wench”, step by step
bed wench traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bed | A piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, on... |
| 2 | Middle English | bed | A place of rest or sleep |
| 3 | Old English | bedd | bed |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | badi | bed |
| 5 | Persian | بدی | badness |
| 6 | Persian | بد | bad; not good; evil; poorly, badly |
| 7 | Middle Persian | 𐭯𐭥𐭭 | to; at; in |
| 8 | Proto-Iranian | pati- | against, toward; lord |
| 9 | Proto-Iranian | *rādi- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Iranian | *rād- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | HraHdʰ- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |
via English wench
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wench | A girl or young woman, especially a buxom or... |
| 2 | Middle English | wench | — |
| 3 | Middle English | wenchel | girl; maiden; child |
| 4 | Old English | wenċel | child |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wankilą | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wankijaną | to sway; to sway; waver |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weng- | to bend, bow, arch, curve; to bow, be bent; to... |