From PIE *h₁weydh- (to separate) — width as space between separated points, same root as 'widow' (the separated one).
Of great or more than average width; extending over a large area; including a great variety of people or things.
From Old English 'wīd' (broad, extensive, spacious, far-reaching), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, meaning 'wide, extended.' The PIE root is *h₁weydʰ- meaning 'to separate, to divide,' suggesting the original sense was of something spread apart or divided — width conceived as the space between two separated points. The same root may be connected to Latin 'dividere' (to divide) and 'viduus' (bereft, widowed
The PIE root behind 'wide' meant 'to separate,' making 'wide' etymologically related to 'widow' — Latin 'viduus' (bereft, separated from a spouse) comes from the same root. Width and widowhood share a common ancestor because both describe a state of separation: space between points, or a person separated from their partner.