English word wife comes from Proto-Indo-European *gʰwíh₂bʰ-, and later Proto-Germanic *wībą (Wife. Woman.)
Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
---|---|---|
*gʰwíh₂bʰ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
*wībą | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Wife. Woman. |
wif | Old English (ang) | A married woman, a wife. Woman. |
wīf | Old English (ang) | |
wyf | Middle English (enm) | Wife. |
wife | English (en) | (Scotland) .. A married woman, especially in relation to her spouse.. The female of a pair of mated animals. |