Where does “widow-hunter” come from?
widow-hunter (English) comes from English Hunter, from Middle English huntere, from Middle English hunten, from Cimbrian hunt, from Middle High German hunt, from Old High German hunt, from Proto-West Germanic hund, from Proto-Germanic hundaz — dog.
widow-hunter (English): Somebody who seeks to marry a widow for her money
Definitions
- Somebody who seeks to marry a widow for her money
Ancestry of “widow-hunter”, step by step
widow-hunter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Hunter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hunter | for a hunter |
| 2 | Middle English | huntere | A hunter; a (male) person who hunts animals |
| 3 | Middle English | hunten | to hunt |
| 4 | Cimbrian | hunt | dog |
| 5 | Middle High German | hunt | dog (Canis familiaris) |
| 6 | Old High German | hunt | dog |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | hund | dog |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hundaz | dog |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱwn̥tós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱwṓ | dog |
via English widow
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | widow | A person whose spouse is absent |
| 2 | Middle English | widwe | widow |
| 3 | Old English | widuwe | widow |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | widuwā | widow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | widuwǭ | widow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁widʰéwh₂ | widow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁weydʰh₁- | to separate, divide |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dwi- | two; apart, asunder |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |