Etymology edit
Old Version edit
The term originated from the Middle English wif, from Old English wīf, woman, wife, from Germanic * wībam, woman, related to Modern German Weib (woman, wife),[1] from the Indo-European root ghwībh-; wīb, meaning veiled or clothed, referred to the wedding veils.[2]. The original meaning of "wife" as simply "woman", unconnected with marriage, is preserved in words like "midwife" and "fishwife".
New Revision edit
The word wife comes from the posited Indo-European root *gʰʷĩbʰ, which meant "shame" or "pudenda."[3]
OED2 edit
[OE. wíf str. n. = OFris., OS. wîf, (LG. wief, Du. wijf), OHG., MHG. wîp (G. weib), ON. víf (Sw. vif, Da. viv); not in Gothic (which uses qinô ‘mulier’ QUEAN and qêns ‘uxor’ QUEEN n.); of obscure origin.]