Width Was Invented Centuries After Wide
Width is the measurement from side to side. The noun is surprisingly recent, coined by analogy with breadth.
Width is the measurement of something from side to side. The noun is a latecomer: English had *wide* for a thousand years but used *wideness* or *breadth* for the measurement, and *width* was only coined around 1620 on the pattern of *breadth* from *broad*. Someone had to make it up, and it caught on. The *-th* suffix builds abstract nouns from adjectives: *long* gives *length*, *strong* gives *strength*, *deep* gives *depth*, *warm* gives *warmth*.
- Side-to-side measurement. *The width of the room.*
- Wide — the adjective. *Wide.*
- Breadth — the older word. *Breadth.*
- Widen — to make wider. *Widen it.*
- Coined about 1620. *On the model of breadth.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | width | The width. |
| Adjective | wide | Wide. |
| Verb | widen | Widen. |
| Adverb | widely | Widely. |
| Related | breadth | Breadth. |
- Measure the width of the gap.Measurement.
- The word dates from about 1620.History.
- Breadth came from broad.Pattern.
The -th noun suffix
- Wide / width — the newest of the set
- Broad / breadth
- Long / length
- Strong / strength
- Deep / depth, warm / warmth, true / truth
From *wide*, Old English *wid*, plus the noun suffix *-th*, coined around 1620 on the model of *breadth*.
Is width an old word?
No. The adjective wide is ancient but the noun width was only formed around 1620, modelled on breadth from broad.
What did English use before?
Wideness or breadth. Both remained in use, and breadth is still perfectly current.