Where does “spaewife” come from?
spaewife (English) comes from Scots spaewife, from Scots wife, from Middle English wyf, from Old English wīf, from Proto-West Germanic wīb, from Proto-Germanic wībą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- — shame, pudenda.
spaewife (English): female fortuneteller
Ancestry of “spaewife”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Scots | spaewife | female fortuneteller |
| 2 | Scots | wife | woman; wife |
| 3 | Middle English | wyf | Alternative form of wif |
| 4 | Old English | wīf | wife; woman, female, lady, wife; female |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wīb | woman; wife |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wībą | woman; wife |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰwíh₂bʰ- | shame, pudenda |