Where does “widow” come from?
Widow derives from Middle English widwe, Old English widuwe, Proto-West Germanic widuwā, and Proto-Germanic widuwǭ, tracing to Proto-Indo-European h₁widʰéwh₂, ultimately from roots meaning to separate or divide.
widow (English): A person whose spouse is absent
Definitions
- A person whose spouse is absent
Ancestry of “widow”, step by step
widow traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English widwe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | widwe | widow |
| 2 | Old English | widuwe | widow |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | widuwā | widow |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | widuwǭ | widow |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁widʰéwh₂ | widow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁weydʰh₁- | to separate, divide |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dwi- | two; apart, asunder |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |