Where does “virago” come from?

Virago derives from Latin virago, from Latin vir (man), from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós (man), ultimately from the root weyh₁- (to separate or distinguish).

virago (English): A woman given to undue belligerence or ill manner...

Definitions

  1. A woman given to undue belligerence or ill manner...

Ancestry of “virago”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinviragoa warlike woman
2Latinvirman in the sense of "adult male human"; adult,...
3Proto-Italicwirosa man
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

Words derived from “virago”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →