Where does “wifeling” come from?

wifeling (English) comes from English 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.

wifeling (English): A wife; a little wife

Definitions

  1. A wife; a little wife

Ancestry of “wifeling”, step by step

wifeling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English wife

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwifeA married woman, especially in relation to her...
2Middle EnglishwyfAlternative form of wif
3Old Englishwīfwife; woman, female, lady, wife; female
4Proto-West Germanicwībwoman; wife
5Proto-Germanicwībąwoman; wife
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰwíh₂bʰ-shame, pudenda

via English Ling

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishLingAny of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae
2Middle EnglishlingAny of various varieties of heather or broom
3Old Norselyngheather, ling
4Proto-Germaniclingwąheather, ling
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlengʷʰom
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlengʷʰ-light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ-Every word from Proto-Germanic wībąEvery word from Proto-West Germanic wīb