Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/widuwǭ

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰéwh₂ (“widow”).^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈwi.ðu.wɔ̃ː/

Noun

*widuwǭ f

widow

Inflection

Declension of *widuwǭ (ōn-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*widuwǭ	*widuwōniz
vocative	*widuwǭ	*widuwōniz
accusative	*widuwōnų	*widuwōnunz
genitive	*widuwōniz	*widuwōnǫ̂
dative	*widuwōni	*widuwōmaz
instrumental	*widuwōnē	*widuwōmiz

Related terms

*widuwernô (?)
*widuwô

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *widuwā
- Old English: widuwe, widua — Northumbrian, wuduwe — West Saxon, widewe, wyduwe, weoduwe, weodewe, wydewe
  - Middle English: widwe
    - English: widow
    - Scots: weedae, wedow, widdow
- Old Frisian: widwe, wedwe
  - Saterland Frisian: Wiede- (in Wiedewieuw, Wiedekäärel)
  - West Frisian: widdo
- Old Saxon: widuwa, widowa
  - Middle Low German: wedewe, weduwe, wedue
    - Plautdietsch: Wät- (in Wätfru)
- Old Dutch: widowa
  - Middle Dutch: weduwe, wedewe
    - Dutch: weduwe, (archaic) weeuw
      - Afrikaans: weduwee
      - Negerhollands: weduwe
      - → Caribbean Hindustani: widhwá
- Old High German: wituwa, witawa
  - Middle High German: witewe
    - Cimbrian: bittaba
    - German: Witwe
    - Luxembourgish: Wit- (in Witfra, Witmann)
    - Vilamovian: wytwa
Gothic: 𐍅𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍅𐍉 (widuwō)

References

^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*widu(w)ōn-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 585

[1] Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*widu(w)ōn-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 585

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