Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/widuwā

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *widuwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰéwh₂ (“widow”).

Noun

*widuwā f

1. widow

Inflection

ōn-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*widuwā
Genitive	*widuwōn
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*widuwā	*widuwōn
Accusative	*widuwōn	*widuwōn
Genitive	*widuwōn	*widuwōnō
Dative	*widuwōn	*widuwōm, *widuwum
Instrumental	*widuwōn	*widuwōm, *widuwum

Descendants

• 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