Where does “widowish” come from?
widowish (English) comes from English widow, from Middle English widwe, from Old English widuwe, from Proto-West Germanic widuwā, from Proto-Germanic widuwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European h₁widʰéwh₂, from Proto-Indo-European h₁weydʰh₁-, from Proto-Indo-European dwi- — two.
widowish (English): Characteristic of a widow
Definitions
- Characteristic of a widow
Ancestry of “widowish”, step by step
widowish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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 |
via English ish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ish | Pronunciation spelling of is; somewhat,... |
| 2 | English | -ish | Typical of, similar to, being like; Somewhat,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ish | Alternative form of -yssh |
| 4 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |