English
Wiffen
Wiffen comes from Old English wīf ‘woman’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *wībą.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wībą‘woman’reconstructedearlier origin unknown
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wīb‘woman’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wīf‘woman’
- EnglishtodayWiffen
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wībą‘woman’reconstructedearlier origin unknown
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wīb‘woman’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wīf‘woman’
- EnglishtodayWiffen
Linked words
through Old English wīf ‘woman’
Today it means
name A surname from Old English.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *wībą / Wiffen