widwe

Middle English

Alternative forms

• widewe, wideu, widowe, widou, widoue, wido, widoi, widuwe, widu, widue, wedewe, wedwe, wedeu, wedowe, weddowe, wedou, weddou, wedue, wodewe, vidowe, wedo, wudewe, wudewa, vidue

Etymology

From Old English widuwe, from Proto-West Germanic *widuwā, from Proto-Germanic *widuwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰéwh₂.

Noun

widwe

1. widow
   • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Knight's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 1169-1171:

     A man moot nedes love, maugree his heed.
     He may nat fleen it, thogh he sholde be deed,
     Al be she mayde, or widwe, or elles wyf.

     A man must of necessity love, in spite of all he can do.
     He can not flee (from) it, though he should be dead,
     Whether she be maid, or widow, or else wife.

Usage notes

• Used of men and women. The term widwer (also widewer, wydewer, modern widower) appeared in the 14th century for men who had lost their wives.

Descendants

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

References

• “widwe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 23 August 2019.