Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wymyn” come from?

wymyn (English) comes from English women, from Middle English wimmen, from Old English wīfmenn, from Old English wīf, from Proto-West Germanic wīb, from Proto-Germanic wībą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- — shame, pudenda.

wymyn (English): Feminist spelling of women

Definitions

  1. Feminist spelling of women

Ancestry of “wymyn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwomenplural of woman; Misspelling of woman
2Middle Englishwimmen—
3Old Englishwīfmennwomen
4Old Englishwīfwife; woman, female, lady, wife; female
5Proto-West Germanicwībwoman; wife
6Proto-Germanicwībąwoman; wife
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰwíh₂bʰ-shame, pudenda
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- →