widuwe

Old English

Alternative forms

• widua — Northumbrian
• wuduwe — West Saxon
• widewe, wyduwe, weoduwe, weodewe, wydewe

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *widuwā, from Proto-Germanic *widuwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰéwh₂. Cognate with Old Frisian widwe, Old Saxon widowa, Old Dutch widowa, Old High German wituwa, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍅𐍉 (widuwō).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwi.du.we/

Noun

widuwe f (Northumbrian)

1. widow

   Widuwe biþ wīf þǣre wer is dēad.

   A widow is a woman whose husband is dead.

Declension

Declension of widuwe (weak)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	widuwe	widuwan
accusative	widuwan	widuwan
genitive	widuwan	widuwena
dative	widuwan	widuwum

Descendants

• Middle English: widwe
  • English: widow
  • Scots: weedae, wedow, widdow