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

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