Where does “spaewife” come from?

spaewife (Scots) comes from Scots wife, from Middle English wyf, from Old English wīf, from Proto-West Germanic wīb, from Proto-Germanic wībą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰwíh₂bʰ- — shame, pudenda.

spaewife (Scots): female fortuneteller

Definitions

  1. female fortuneteller

Ancestry of “spaewife”, step by step

spaewife traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Scots wife

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotswifewoman; wife
2Middle EnglishwyfAlternative form of wif
3Old Englishwīfwife; woman, female, lady, wife; female
4Proto-West Germanicwībwoman; wife
5Proto-Germanicwībąwoman; wife
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰwíh₂bʰ-shame, pudenda

via Scots spae

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotsspaeto prophesy, foretell, predict, tell fortunes; to...
2Middle Englishspa—
3Old Norsespáa prophecy; to prophesy, to foretell
4Proto-Germanicspahōnąto observe
5Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe

Words derived from “spaewife”

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