Where does “Ehefrau” come from?
Ehefrau (German) comes from German frau, from Middle High German vrouwe, from Old High German frouwa, from Proto-West Germanic *frauwjā, from Proto-Germanic frawjǭ, from Proto-Indo-European proHwo-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ehefrau (German): married woman, wife
Definitions
- married woman, wife
Ancestry of “Ehefrau”, step by step
Ehefrau traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German frau
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | frau | one, they |
| 2 | Middle High German | vrouwe | woman, lady, madam |
| 3 | Old High German | frouwa | lady |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *frauwjā | lady, wife of a lord woman of high standing |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | frawjǭ | lady, wife of a lord |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | proHwo- | master, judge; right judge, master |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via German ehe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | ehe | before, ere; rather than |
| 2 | Middle High German | ēwe | law |
| 3 | Old High German | ēwa | eternity; law, marriage |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | aiw | long time, age, eternity; law |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | aiwaz | long time, age, eternity |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |