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widwe. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
widwe, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
widwe in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
widwe you have here. The definition of the word
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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
- 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
References