Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁widʰéwh₂

This Proto-Indo-European 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-Indo-European

Etymology

A derivative of the root *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to separate”), given that widows are irreversibly separated from their husbands.

Noun

*h₁widʰéwh₂ f

widow

Inflection

Athematic, proterokinetic
	singular
nominative	*h₁widʰéwh₂s
genitive	*h₁widʰwéh₂s
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*h₁widʰéwh₂s	*h₁widʰéwh₂h₁(e)	*h₁widʰéwh₂es
vocative	*h₁widʰéwh₂	*h₁widʰéwh₂h₁(e)	*h₁widʰéwh₂es
accusative	*h₁widʰéwh₂m̥	*h₁widʰéwh₂h₁(e)	*h₁widʰéwh₂m̥s
genitive	*h₁widʰwéh₂s	*?	*h₁widʰwéh₂oHom
ablative	*h₁widʰwéh₂s	*?	*h₁widʰwéh₂mos
dative	*h₁widʰwéh₂ey	*?	*h₁widʰwéh₂mos
locative	h₁widʰwéh₂, h₁widʰwéh₂i	*?	*h₁widʰwéh₂su
instrumental	*h₁widʰwéh₂h₁	*?	*h₁widʰwéh₂mis

Alternative reconstructions

*h₁widʰéweh₂

Reconstruction notes

De Vaan disputes the existence of this word as a feminine noun in PIE, as the Latin and Greek forms point to a thematic adjective *h₁widʰ(h₁)éwos which could be substantivized for people of either gender.

Descendants

Proto-Albanian: *widewā
- Old Albanian: vejë
  - Albanian: ve
Proto-Balto-Slavic: *widewāˀ
- Old Prussian: widdewū
- Proto-Slavic: *vьdova (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Celtic: *widwā (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Germanic: *widuwǭ f (see there for further descendants); *widuwô m
Proto-Hellenic: *ewítʰewos m; *ewitʰéwā f
- Aeolic Greek: ἠΐθεος m (ēḯtheos); ἠϊθέη f (ēïthéē)
- Attic–Ionic Greek: ἠΐθεος (ēḯtheos), ᾔθεος (ḗitheos)
- Doric Greek: ᾄθεος (ā́itheos, hyperdoricism)
Proto-Indo-Iranian: *HwidʰáwaH (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Italic: *wiðowos (“unmarried”, adjective); *wiðowā f
- Latin: viduus; vidua (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Ringe, Donald (2006) From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “viduus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 676–677: “Latin and Greek show a them[atic] adj[ective] used for both sexes […] it is unlikely that the f[eminine] noun was original, and adjectivized without any suffix in Latin and Greek. I therefore assume the primacy of the o-stem adj[ective] in PIE.”

[1] Ringe, Donald (2006) From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN

[EDL-2] 2.0 ^2.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “viduus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 676–677: “Latin and Greek show a them[atic] adj[ective] used for both sexes […] it is unlikely that the f[eminine] noun was original, and adjectivized without any suffix in Latin and Greek. I therefore assume the primacy of the o-stem adj[ective] in PIE.”

Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁widʰéwh₂

Contents