queen
/kwiːn/
noun
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*gʷḗn — woman
Overview
Meaning Now
- The female ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth.
- The wife or widow of a king.
- A woman or thing considered to be the best or most important of its kind.
Literal older meaning
woman, wife
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
cwēn
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word originally meant simply 'woman' or 'wife'. Over time, it evolved specifically to mean a woman of royal status, mirroring the development of 'king', which began as a term for a member of a kin or tribe.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*gʷḗn
“woman”
- Proto-Germanic
*kwēniz
“woman, wife”
- Old English
cwēn
“queen, woman, wife”
- Middle English
quene
“queen, woman”
- Modern English
queen
“female monarch”
Connections
Word parts
queen
root
woman, wife, monarch
Related across languages
Old Norse
kván
wife
Greek
gunē
woman
Explore next
Related to queen
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.