Where does “fishwife” come from?
fishwife (English) comes from English fish, from Middle English fisch, from Old English fisċ, from Proto-West Germanic fisk, from Proto-Germanic fiskaz, from Indo-European *peysk-.
fishwife (English): A woman who sells or works with fish; a female...
Definitions
- A woman who sells or works with fish; a female...
Ancestry of “fishwife”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fish | A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in... |
| 2 | Middle English | fisch | An animal that inhabits the water or the meat of... |
| 3 | Old English | fisċ | fish |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fisk | fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fiskaz | fish |
| 6 | Indo-European | *peysk- | — |