*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of wide

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated unive

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adv

Extensively. · Completely. · Away from or to one side of a given goal. · So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.

noun

A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score

adj

Having a large physical extent from side to side. · Large in scope. · Overweight, obese. · Operating at the side of the playing area.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated univerbation from *dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian widj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian wied (“wide”), West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”), Central Franconian weck, weit, wick, wiet (“distant, far, wide”), Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”), German weit (“far; wide; broad”), Luxembourgish weit (“wide”), wäit (“far”), Yiddish ווײַט (vayt, “distant, far”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vid (“wide”), Faroese and Icelandic víður (“wide”); also Breton gwez (“trees”), Cornish gwedh, gwëdh, gwydh, gwÿdh (“trees”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic fiodh (“timber, wood”), Manx fuygh (“timber, wood”), Welsh gwŷdd (“trees”), Latin dīvidō (“to divide, separate”), Latgalian vyds (“middle”), Latvian vidus (“center, middle”), Lithuanian vidùs (“interior, inside; inward”), Tocharian A and Tocharian B wätk- (“to distinguish, separate”). Related to widow.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionwidenm
  • Inherited-form mentionwīdang · wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far
  • Inherited-form mention*wīdazgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*h₁weydʰh₁-ine-pro · to divide, separate
  • Compound component*dwi-ine-pro · apart, asunder, in two
  • Compound component*dʰeh₁-ine-pro · to do, put, place
  • Cognate mentionwidjfrr · wide
  • Cognate mentionwiedstq · wide
  • Cognate mentionwiidfy · broad; wide
  • Cognate mentionweckgmw-cfr
  • Cognate mentionwijdnl · wide; large; broad
  • Cognate mentionweitde · far; wide; broad
  • Cognate mentionweitlb · wide
  • Cognate mentionווײַטyi · distant, far
  • Cognate mentiongwezbr · trees
  • Cognate mentiongwedhkw
  • Cognate mentionfuyghgv · timber, wood
  • Cognate mentiongwŷddcy · trees
  • Cognate mentiondīvidōla · to divide, separate
  • Cognate mentionvydsltg · middle
  • Cognate mentionviduslv · center, middle
  • Cognate mentionvidùslt · interior, inside; inward

This page abbreviates 7 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "langname",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
    },
    {
      "name": "word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine",
        "3": "dwóh₁",
        "id": ""
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "PIE word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dwóh₁"
      },
      "expansion": "PIE word\n *dwóh₁"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "ang:wīd<id:wide>",
        "id": "large"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*wīdaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"wīd\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"wide\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"large\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"wide\" id=\"English:_large\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "wid"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English wid"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "wīd",
        "t": "wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*wīdaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wīdaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁weydʰh₁-",
        "t": "to divide, separate"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "compound",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro",
        "2": "*dwi-",
        "3": "*dʰeh₁-",
        "t1": "apart, asunder, in two",
        "t2": "to do, put, place",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "*dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "widj",
        "t": "wide"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian widj (“wide”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "wied",
        "t": "wide"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian wied (“wide”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "wiid",
        "t": "broad; wide"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmw-cfr",
        "2": "weck"
      },
      "expansion": "Central Franconian weck"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "wijd",
        "t": "wide; large; broad"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "weit",
        "t": "far; wide; broad"
      },
      "expansion": "German weit (“far; wide; broad”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lb",
        "2": "weit",
        "t": "wide"
      },
      "expansion": "Luxembourgish weit (“wide”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yi",
        "2": "ווײַט",
        "t": "distant, far"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish ווײַט (vayt, “distant, far”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da,nb,nn,sv",
        "2": "vid",
        "t": "wide"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vid (“wide”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo,is",
        "2": "víður",
        "t": "wide"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese and Icelandic víður (“wide”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "br",
        "2": "gwez",
        "t": "trees"
      },
      "expansion": "Breton gwez (“trees”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "kw",
        "2": "gwedh"
      },
      "expansion": "Cornish gwedh"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ga,gd",
        "2": "fiodh",
        "t": "timber, wood"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish and Scottish Gaelic fiodh (“timber, wood”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gv",
        "2": "fuygh",
        "t": "timber, wood"
      },
      "expansion": "Manx fuygh (“timber, wood”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cy",
        "2": "gwŷdd",
        "t": "trees"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh gwŷdd (“trees”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "dīvidō",
        "t": "to divide, separate"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin dīvidō (“to divide, separate”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ltg",
        "2": "vyds",
        "t": "middle"
      },
      "expansion": "Latgalian vyds (“middle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lv",
        "2": "vidus",
        "t": "center, middle"
      },
      "expansion": "Latvian vidus (“center, middle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "vidùs",
        "t": "interior, inside; inward"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian vidùs (“interior, inside; inward”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "xto,txb",
        "2": "wätk-",
        "t": "to distinguish, separate"
      },
      "expansion": "Tocharian A and Tocharian B wätk- (“to distinguish, separate”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "ang:wīd<id:wide>",
        "id": "large"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*dwóh₁",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwóh₁"
    ],
    [
      "wid",
      "wid#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wyd",
      "wyd#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wīd",
      "wid#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*wīdaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wīdaz"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁weydʰh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁weydʰh₁-"
    ],
    [
      "*dwi-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwi-"
    ],
    [
      "*dʰeh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰeh₁-"
    ],
    [
      "widj",
      "widj#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "wied",
      "wied#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "wiid",
      "wiid#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "weck",
      "weck#Central_Franconian"
    ],
    [
      "weit",
      "weit#Central_Franconian"
    ],
    [
      "wick",
      "wick#Central_Franconian"
    ],
    [
      "wiet",
      "wiet#Central_Franconian"
    ],
    [
      "wijd",
      "wijd#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "weit",
      "weit#German"
    ],
    [
      "weit",
      "weit#Luxembourgish"
    ],
    [
      "wäit",
      "wäit#Luxembourgish"
    ],
    [
      "ווײַט",
      "ווײַט#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "Danish",
      "vid#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "vid#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "vid#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "vid",
      "vid#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "Faroese",
      "víður#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "víður",
      "víður#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "gwez",
      "gwez#Breton"
    ],
    [
      "gwedh",
      "gwedh#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "gwëdh",
      "gwëdh#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "gwydh",
      "gwydh#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "gwÿdh",
      "gwÿdh#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "Irish",
      "fiodh#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "fiodh",
      "fiodh#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
    [
      "fuygh",
      "fuygh#Manx"
    ],
    [
      "gwŷdd",
      "gwŷdd#Welsh"
    ],
    [
      "dīvidō",
      "divido#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "vyds",
      "vyds#Latgalian"
    ],
    [
      "vidus",
      "vidus#Latvian"
    ],
    [
      "vidùs",
      "vidus#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "Tocharian A",
      "wätk-#Tocharian_A"
    ],
    [
      "wätk-",
      "wätk-#Tocharian_B"
    ],
    [
      "widow",
      "widow#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Extensively.",
        "Completely.",
        "Away from or to one side of a given goal.",
        "So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "4cccd444d88dde032b2c56466a26f310b5371ec84aba48c22905ff0944c7fc7c",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 38345
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score"
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 38346
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Having a large physical extent from side to side.",
        "Large in scope.",
        "Overweight, obese.",
        "Operating at the side of the playing area."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "humorous",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "a807b7504a8b92bbf638ba7c94bff0878cc0231e6bdb9390385ac9d90cbcde7f",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 7,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for wide →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-d2lkZQ