Where does “wîf” come from?
wîf (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon wīf, from Proto-Germanic *wīb, from Proto-Germanic wībą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- — shame, pudenda.
Ancestry of “wîf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | wīf | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | *wīb | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wībą | woman; wife |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰwíh₂bʰ- | shame, pudenda |