Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Witwe” come from?

Witwe (German) comes from Middle High German witewe, from Old High German wituwa, from Proto-West Germanic widuwā, from Proto-Germanic widuwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European h₁widʰéwh₂, from Proto-Indo-European h₁weydʰh₁-, from Proto-Indo-European dwi-, from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ — two.

Witwe (German): widow

Definitions

  1. widow

Ancestry of “Witwe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanwitewe—
2Old High Germanwituwawidow
3Proto-West Germanicwiduwāwidow
4Proto-Germanicwiduwǭwidow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁widʰéwh₂widow
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁weydʰh₁-to separate, divide
7Proto-Indo-Europeandwi-two; apart, asunder
8Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two

Words derived from “Witwe”

  • Strohwitwe
  • vidvo
  • vidvino
  • vidviĉo
  • אלמנת קש
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ →