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

huswif traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English wif

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

via Middle English hous

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhoushouse, residence; house of worship, temple;...
2Old Englishhūsdwelling, shelter, house; house
3Proto-West Germanichūshouse
4Proto-Germanichūsąhouse
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kewH-to cover, bedeck; cover

Words derived from “huswif”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wībą →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wīb →