Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “wimmen” come from?

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

Ancestry of “wimmen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwīfmennwomen
2Old Englishwīfwife; woman, female, lady, wife; female
3Proto-West Germanicwībwoman; wife
4Proto-Germanicwībąwoman; wife
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰwíh₂bʰ-shame, pudenda

Words derived from “wimmen”

  • women
  • womenfolk
  • womyn
  • womenkind
  • womenswear
  • antiwomen
  • womenless
  • wymyn
  • womynhood
  • womynkind
  • womynly
  • madwomyn
  • tenniswomen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- →