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"widow" in seven languages

Meaningwidow

Spanish

viuda

/ˈbjuda/

fem.inherited

French

veuve

/vœv/

fem.inherited

Italian

vedova

/ˈvedova/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

viúva

/viˈuvɐ/

fem.inherited

The d between vowels vanished and a v grew in its place.

Romanian

văduvă

/ˈvəduvə/

fem.inherited

Catalan

vídua

/ˈbiduə/

fem.learned

Semi-learned: the d between vowels, which Catalan usually drops, is kept.

English

widow

/ˈwɪdoʊ/

Indo-European kin · PIE *h₁widʰéwh₂

English → ItalianwidowvedovaDistant cognateRelated only through Indo-European, thousands of years back (night ~ noche).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

VIDUAM‘widow; bereft’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

One of the oldest Indo-European family words: English widow is not borrowed from Latin but a sister of VIDUA from the same ancestor. Spanish says its v as b (viuda); French lost the d altogether (veuve).

Sound laws at work

B and V merge in Spanish

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esSu abuela es viuda.
  • frSa grand-mère est veuve.
  • itSua nonna è vedova.
  • ptA avó dele é viúva.
  • roBunica lui e văduvă.
  • caLa seva àvia és vídua.
  • enHis grandmother is a widow.

More in Family

All Family words