widow
A woman whose spouse has died and who has not remarried.
Etymology
From Old English widewe, from Proto-Germanic *widuwō, from PIE *h₁widʰéwh₂ "widow," literally "she who is separated," from *h₁weidʰ- "to divide, separate." The word preserves an ancient social concept — the widow as someone set apart from the normal social structure.
The Journey: *h₁widʰéwh₂ → widow
*h₁widʰéwh₂
*widuwō
widewe
widewe
widow
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *h₁widʰéwh₂. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Latin | vidua |
| Persian | bīva |
| Sanskrit | vidhavā |
| Old Irish | fedb |
| Old Church Slavonic | vĭdova |
Did You Know?
Latin vidua "widow" and English "divide" both descend from PIE *h₁weidʰ- "to separate" — showing how the concept of separation underlies both widowhood and division.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁widʰéwh₂. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.