Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “huswif” come from?

huswif (Middle English) comes from Middle English wif, from Old English wīf, from Proto-West Germanic wīb, from Proto-Germanic wībą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- — shame, pudenda.

huswif (Middle English): housewife; A portable cloth roll up kit for...

Definitions

  1. housewife; A portable cloth roll up kit for...

Ancestry of “huswif”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwifwoman, female human; wife, female spouse; The...
2Old Englishwīfwife; woman, female, lady, wife; female
3Proto-West Germanicwībwoman; wife
4Proto-Germanicwībąwoman; wife
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰwíh₂bʰ-shame, pudenda

Words derived from “huswif”

  • hussy
  • hussif
  • henhussy
  • hussive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- →