Where does “wive” come from?
wive (English) comes from Middle English wiven, from Old English wīfian, from Old English -ian, from Old English -ōjan, from Proto-West Germanic -ōn, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
wive (English): To marry; To provide with a wife
Definitions
- To marry; To provide with a wife
Ancestry of “wive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wiven | — |
| 2 | Old English | wīfian | to marry (a woman) |
| 3 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 4 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |