English
wedding
Wedding comes from Old English weddung ‘betrothal, espousal’, from weddian ‘to pledge, to promise’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- ‘to bind’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wedʰ-‘to bind’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wodʰ-yo-mreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wadją‘wager’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wadjōną‘to wager’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*waddjōn‘to wager’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150weddian‘to pledge’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150weddung‘betrothal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wedding
- Englishearliest quotation 1858same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wedʰ-‘to bind’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wodʰ-yo-mreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wadją‘wager’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wadjōną‘to wager’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*waddjōn‘to wager’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150weddian‘to pledge’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150weddung‘betrothal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wedding
- Englishearliest quotation 1858same form
Earliest quotation: 1858, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Wedding-Day: “Simple and brief was the wedding, as that of…”
Formed from wed + -ing
Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- ‘to pledge’
…
Proto-Germanic *wadjōną ‘to pledge’
Proto-West Germanic *waddjōn ‘to wager, to pledge’
Old English weddian ‘to pledge’
Middle English wedden ‘to marry’
English wed
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- ‘to bind’
engagement, weed, bahu, 7 more
through Proto-Germanic *wadją ‘wager’
wage, engage, gage, wedlock, 3 more
through Old English weddian ‘to pledge, to promise’
Today it means
noun A marriage ceremony; a ritual officially celebrating the beginning of a marriage.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- / wedding