# An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/W (full text)

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W.
Waare, see Ware.
Wabe, f., ‘honeycomb,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wabe, m. and f. (waben, m.) OHG. waba, f. (wabo, m.); lit. perhaps ‘texture,’ allied to weben. It is scarcely connected with Lat. favus. Allied also to Waffel.
wabern, vb., ‘to be agitated,’ from MidHG. wabern, ‘to be in motion, move to and fro’; comp. OIc. vafra, ‘to move to and fro.’ —
Waberlohe, f., ‘flickering flame,’ formed like the equiv. OIc. vafrlogi.
wach, adj., ‘awake, on the alert,’ a remarkably late word (of the last cent.), which is entirely wanting in the earlier periods and dialects (in MidHG. wacker, see wacker); a recent derivative of wecken and wachen. The latter is an old form; comp. MidHG. wachen, OHG. wahhên, ‘to wake, be awake,’ OSax. wakôn, Du. waken, AS. wacian, wœččan, E. to wake, watch; also in Goth. waken, str. vb., ‘to be awake, watch.’ For the early history of the cognates see the causative wecken. The abstract form Wache, f., ‘guard, watch,’ is from MidHG. (very rare) wache, for which wahte, f. (ModHG. Wacht), is the usual term; to this ModHG. Wächter, m., ‘watch, guardian,’ from MidHG. wahtœ̂re is allied.
Wachholder, m., ‘juniper, gin’; the word has attained its present form by many inorganic changes; it is based on the equiv. OHG. wëhhalturia (MidHG. wëcheltürre) and wëhhœltar (MidHG. wëcholter); in MidHG. also wachalter, quëckolter, rëckholter in represented by the modern Alem. form Reckholder). Holunder and Maßholder show that the derivative syllable is MidHG. -ter; as in the case of Maßholder, the final syllables were changed to Holder, equiv. to Holunder. The signification of the l derivative, OHG. *wëhhal, ‘juniper’ (also wëhhan- in dial. Wachandel), is entirety inexplicable.
Wachs, n., ‘wax,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wahs, n., common to Teut. in the same sense; comp. OIc. vax, AS. weahs, E. wax, LG. and Du. was. OSlov. (Russ.) voskŭ, Lith. wászkas, ‘wax,’ perhaps borrowed from OTeut., are closely related to this word.
wachsen, vb., ‘to grow, increase, thrive,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wahsen, OHG. wahsan, str. vb.; corresponding to the equiv. Goth. wahsjan, OSax. wahsan, Du. wassen, AS. weaxan, E. to wax. The Teut. root wahs contained in these words, and perhaps cognate with that of wecken, appears in non-Teut. as weks, uks; comp. Sans. vakš, ukš, ‘to grow strong or tall,’ Zend uχš, Gr. ἀέξω (αὐξάνω), ‘to strengthen, increase, grow’; comp. Ochse.
Wachtel, f., ‘quail,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wahtel, OHG. wahtala, f.; corresponding to AS. wyhtel (rare; usually çrschęn). The term looks like a derivative of Wacht (root wak, ‘to be awake’). It is probable, however, that the word has attained its present form by many changes; comp. Du. kwakkel, kwartel, ‘quail’ (phonetically cognate with MidLat. quaccila, Fr. quaille, Ital. quaglia, ‘quail’). The word for ‘quail,’ common to Sans. and Gr. but unknown to Teut., was wortok, wortog; comp. Sans. vartikâ, Gr. ὄρτυξ, ‘quail.’
Wacke, f., ‘wacke, toadstone,’ from Mid ​HG. wacke, m., ‘rock-flint, block of stone projecting from the ground,’ OHG. *wacko- (from the base waggo), m., ‘pebble, flint.’ Further cognates are wanting.
wackeln, vb., ‘to shake, rock, totter,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. wackeln (and also wacken). An intensive form from MidHG. wagen, OHG. wagôn, ‘to move, totter, shake’; comp. Du. twaggelen, ‘to shake,’ AS. wagian, also E. to wag (from AS. *waggian). These cognates are certainly more closely related to ModHG. wiegen (Teut. root weg, from the Aryan root wē̆gh) than to the cognates of wanken.
wacker, adj., ‘valiant, gallant, honest,’ from MidHG. wacker (wacher), OHG. wacchar (wahhhar), adj., ‘cheerful, lively, awake’; comp. Du. wakker, ‘awake, awakened, cheerful, powerful,’ AS. wacor, ‘awake,’ OIc. wakr, ‘stirring, awake.’ An old derivative to Sans. vigra, ‘powerful, active’) from the Teut. root wak, ‘to be stirring, brisk’ (see wecken); comp. also wach.
Wade, f., ‘calf’ (of the leg), from the equiv. MidHG. wade, m. (used chiefly in the plur.), OHG. wado, m.; comp. the equiv. Du. wade. OIc. vǫðve, m., ‘muscle,’ shows that the more general meaning was ‘muscle’; OHG. ado (accus. wadun) is based on Teut. waþwo, m. There are no cognates in the non-Teut. languages.
Waffe, f., ‘weapon,’ from the equiv. MidHG. waffen, wâfen, OHG. waffan, wâfan, n., ‘weapon, sword, armour’; corresponding to Goth. wépna, n. plur., ‘weapons,’ AS. wœ̂pn, E. weapon, Du. wapen. Comp. also Wappen. Teut. wêpno- (wapono-) assumes a Teut. wêbono- (wobono-); its connection with the equiv. Gr. ὅπλον (lit. ‘utensil’) is conceivable by assuming a double root, wop, wob. Whether this root is identical with the Sans. root vap, ‘to scatter, sow,’ in which case ‘missile’ would be the primary meaning of Waffe, is uncertain.
Waffel, f., ‘waffle, wafer,’ ModHG. only, properly a LG. word; comp. Du. wafel (hence E. waffle), The Waffel was so called from its resemblance to the honeycomb, for the Fr. term gaufre signifies both ‘honeycomb’ and ‘waffle’ Comp. E. wafer and Wake.
Wage, f., ‘balance,’ from MidHG. wâdge, OHG. wâga, f., ‘balance, weighing-machine’ (allied to wägen). Corresponding to OSax. wâga, Du. waag, AS. wœ̂g (whence E. to weigh), OIc. vâg, f., ‘balance.’ Allied to the Teut. root weg in wiegen.
Wagen, m., ‘vehicle, carriage, waggon,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wagen, OHG. wagan, m.; corresponding to the equiv. Du. wagen, AS. wœgn, E. wain, OIc. vagn, ‘waggon.’ Based on the Teut. root wëg (see Weg); from the corresponding Aryan root wëgh, wogh, ‘to drag, drive,’ are derived Gr. ἄχος, Lat. vehiculum, OIc. fén, ‘waggon.’ The Aryan words Rad and Nabe show that vehicles were used in primitive times; for the Aryan root wegh, ‘to drag, to move on,’ see wegen. —
Wagner, m., ‘cartwright’ from MidHG. wagener, ‘cartwright, driver, carrier,’ OHG. waganâri, ‘cartwright’; hence the proper name Wagner.
wagen, vb., ‘to venture, risk,’ fro MidHG. wâgen, wk. vb., ‘to hazard, venture,’ lit. ‘to put in the scales’ MidHG. wâge, f., ‘balance,’ also means ‘uncertain result’; the word is unknown to ModHG. in this sense.
wägen, vb., ‘to weigh,’ from MidHG. wëgen; identical with wiegen.
Wahl, f., ‘choice, election,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wal, OHG. wala, f.; to this is allied ModHG. wählen, ‘to choose,’ from the equiv. MidHG. węln, węllen, OHG. węllen (from *waljan), wk. vb. Comp. OIc. val, n., ‘choice,’ with velja, ‘to select.’ Allied to the Aryan root wel, ‘to wish,’ appearing in wollen.
Wahlstatt, Walstatt, f., ‘field of battle,’ from the equiv. MidHG. walstat, f.; MidHG. and OHG. wal, m., f., and n., has also the same meaning. The corresponding AS. wœl signifies ‘those left on the battlefield,’ also ‘corpse’ (to which wœlstôw, ‘place of combat,’ is allied); comp. OIc. valr, ‘the corpses on the battlefield,’ valfǫđr (lit. ‘father of the dead’). It is impossible to recognise in this primit. word a derivative of the root of wählen, as if it meant ‘the chosen favourites of the god of war, who were led away by the Valkyres.’ It is rather based on a root wăl, ‘destruction,’ which appears also in OHG. wuol, ‘defeat,’ AS. wôl, ‘plague, pestilence’; allied to wühlen?. —
Walküre, f., ‘Valkyre,’ formed from OIc. valkyrja (AS. wœlcyrie), f., prop. ‘a divine maiden who makes a selection of the slain on the field of battle.’ See kiesen.
Wahn, m. ‘illusion, delusion,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wân, m., ‘uncertain, unfounded opinion, supposition, belief, hoping, ​thoughts.’ The word (comp. Argwohn) did not originally contain the secondary meaning ‘want of foundation,’ as is shown by OSax. wân, AS. wên, Goth. wêns, ‘expectation, hope.’ Hence the derivative wähnen, ‘to think, believe, suppose,’ MidHG. wœnen, OHG. wânnen (from *wânjan), ‘to mean, suppose, hope,’ comp. the equiv. Goth. wênjan, AS. wênan, OSax. wânian. The nominal stem wêni is not related to any terms in non-Teut. (Aryan root wê?, ghwê, ghê?), unless it be connected with the root wen, ‘to love,’ from which OHG. and OSax. wini, ‘friend,’ Sans. van, ‘to love,’ and Lat. venerari, ‘to venerate,’ are derived.
Wahnsinn, m., ‘frenzy, madness, delirium.’ It has properly no connection whatever with the preceding word; it first occurs in ModHG., and is an imitation of the earlier Wahnwitz, m., ‘delirium,’ which is based on MidHG. wănwitzec, wănwitze, OHG. wănawizzi, adj., ‘unintelligible, void of understanding.’ Wahnwitz is the sole relic of an old method of forming compounds with wăna-, ‘wanting,’ which is especially preserved in Scand.; comp. also OHG. wanaheil, ‘sickly,’ lit. perhaps ‘deficient in health’; thus too OHG. wanawizzi, ‘deficient in sense.’ Goth. wans, ‘deficient, lacking,’ OIc. vanr, ‘lacking,’ is an old partic. with the suffix ana, from the Aryan root ū̆, ‘to be empty,’ from which öde is derived; comp. the Zend root û, ‘to want,’ Sans. ûna, ‘wanting,’ and OHG. wanôn, ‘to diminish.’
wahr, adj., ‘true, real, genuine,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wâr (also MidHG. wœre, OHG. wâri); corresponding to OSax. wâr, Du. waar, ‘true.’ A genuine Teut. word, found only in a few languages; Lat. vêrus, OIr. fír, ‘true’ (and also OSlov. věru, ‘belief’), are primitively allied to it; its primit. meaning has not been discovered. In Goth., only *tuzwêrs, ‘doubtful,’ appears to be cognate; but Goth. unwêrs, ‘indignant,’ OHG. mitiwâri, ‘mild,’ probably belong to another class. The word for ‘true’ in Goth. is sunjis, in AS., sôþ, which are related to ModHG. sein, Aryan root es; ‘the true’ is thus ‘the existent,’ which suggests a connection between Lat. vêrus, equiv. to Teut. wêro-, through the medium of a prehistoric form, *wes-ró-, with the Aryan root wes, ‘to be’ (see Wesen).
wahren, vb., ‘to watch over, preserve,’ from MidHG. warn, wk. vb., ‘to notice, be careful, pay attention to’; OHG. only in biwarôn (the same as MidHG. bewarn, ModHG. bewahren, ‘to keep, preserve’). Comp. the corresponding OSax. warôn, ‘to pay attention to.’ From Ger. is derived Fr. se garer, ‘to guard against, mind’; but Fr. garnir (Ital. guarnire), ‘to furnish, stock,’ is based on the equiv. OHG. warnôn, MidHG. warnen, which, like wahren, is derived from the same root war, ‘to take care of, look after.’ To this is allied OHG. and OSax. wara, MidHG. war, f., ‘attention,’ still preserved in wahrnehmen, ‘to perceive,’ from MidHG. war nëmen, OHG. and OSax. wara nëman, ‘to pay attention to, perceive’ (in OHG. and MidHG. construed with the genit.), lit. ‘to have regard to.’ The Teut. root. war, ‘to take heed, notice,’ is rightly regarded as primit. cognate with Gr. ὁράω, ‘I see’ (Aryan root wor, to which warten is also allied).
währen, vb., ‘to last, continue,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërn, OHG. wërên, wk. vb.; allied to OSax. warôn, ‘to last.’ The r of these verbs is based on an old s, which leads to a connection with the Aryan root wes, ‘to be’ (comp. Wesen). Deriv. während, prep. and conj., ‘during, pending, whilst,’ properly a partic.
Wahrung, f., ‘fixed value or standard,’ from MidHG. wërunge, ‘guaranteed alloy.’
wahrnehmen, see wahren.
Wahrsager, m., ‘soothsayer, prophet,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. (rare) wârsager, which is properly LG. Comp. OSax. wârsago, ‘prophet,’ and weissagen.
Währwolf, see Werwolf.
Wahrzeichen, n., ‘mark, token, omen, signal,’ from MidHG. warzeichen, n., ‘token, mark,’ for which the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wortzeichen (OSax. wordtêkan), n., is ordinarily used. The word has been corrupted; its primit. form and meaning are obscure. Comp. also the cognate, OIc. jartein, ‘token of recognition.’
Waid, m., ‘woad, blue dye,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. weit, m.; corresponding to the equiv. Du. weede, AS. wâd, E. woad, Goth. *waida- (for which wizdila, ‘woad,’ is found,’ whence MidLat. guasdium, Fr. guède). From Teut. is derived the equiv. Rom. cognate, Ital. guado. Lat. vitrum, ‘woad,’ is historically related to the Teut. cognates, which may be based on pre-Teut. waitó.
Waidmann, see Weide (2).
​ Waise, f. (m.), ‘orphan,’ from MidHG. weise, OHG. weiso (*weisso?), m., ‘parentless child,’ also ‘fatherless or motherless child’ (the masc. seems to be used in MidHG. for the fem. also); corresponding to Du. wees, OFris. wêsa, ‘orphan.’ The base (Teut. waisjôn?) is probably derived from an Aryan root meaning ‘to rob’; comp. Sans. vidh, ‘to become empty’ (see Witwe). In Goth. a diminutive of Witwe (see Dirne and Eichhorn), widuwaírna, m., signifies ‘orphan.’
Wald, m., ‘wood, forest,’ from the equiv. MidHG. walt (d), OHG. wald, n.; corresponding to OSax. wald, Du. would, AS. weald, E. wold, OIc. vǫllr, Goth. *walþus, m., ‘wood.’ Teut. walþu-s, from which OFr. gaut, ‘brushwood,’ is borrowed, points to pre-Teut. waltus (waltwos?), to which Gr. άλσος (for *ϝαλτϝος?) ‘grove,’ and Sans. vâṭa (from *valta), ‘garden, district,’ are probably related. The connection with wild is uncertain.
Walfisch, m., ‘whale,’ from the equiv. MidHG. walvisch, OHG. walfisc, m. The first component was orig. sufficient to designate a whale; comp. ModHG., MidHG., and OHG. wal, AS. hwœl, OIc. hvalr, m., ‘whale.’ The early history of Teut. hwala-, ‘whale’ (to which MidHG. walre, OHG. węlira, ‘whale,’ is allied), is obscure. — Walroß, n., ‘walrus,’ from the equiv. Dan. hvalros, as well as Narwal and Wels, are from the same root.
walken, vb., ‘to full, mill (cloth); tread (skins); thrash, cudgel,’ from MidHG. walken, OHG. walchan, str. vb., ‘to strike, thrash, full, mill (cloth)’; comp. Du. walken, ‘to press,’ AS. wealcan, OIc. valka, ‘to roll, move to and fro.’ From Teut. walkan are also derived Ital. gualcare, ‘to calender or press cloth,’ gualchiera, ‘fulling-mill.’ The Teut. root walk, from Aryan walg, seems to coincide with Sans. valg, ‘to hop or skip along.’ — From MidHG. walker, węlker, ‘fuller,’ is derived the proper name Welker.
Walküre, see Wahlstatt.
Wall, m., ‘rampart, mound, embankment,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wal (ll), m. and n.; OHG. *wal is by chance not recorded. Comp. OSax. wal (ll), Du. val, ‘rampart,’ AS. weall, E. wall. This West Teut. word, which is certainly borrowed from the equiv. Lat. vallum, vallus, seems to belong to the earliest loan-words from Lat. (comp. Straße, Mauer); primit. kinship with the Lat. word is very improbable.
Wallach, m., ‘gelding,’ ModHG. only, lit. ‘Wallachian’; “the practice of gelding stallions was introduced into the Middle and West of Europe from Wallachia and Hungary.”
wallen (1.), vb., ‘to boil, bubble,’ from the the equiv MidHG. wallen, OHG. wallan, str. vb.; corresponding to OSax. wallan, AS. weallan, allied to OIc. vella, ‘to boil, bubble.’ From the same Aryan root wel (wol) is derived ModHG. Welle, ‘wave, billow.’
wallen (2.), vb., ‘to wander about, go on a pilgrimage,’ from MidHG. wallen, OHG. wallôn, ‘to wander, roam about, go on a pilgrimage’; corresponding to AS. weallian, ‘to wander.’ Allied to MidHG. wallœre, ‘traveller (on foot), pilgrim’; MidHG. wallevart, ModHG. Wallfahrt, f., ‘pilgrimage.’ The root wal (wallôn, rom wal-nô) is perhaps not different from the root of wallen (1). Comp. E. to walk (Teut. base wallaqôn) with AS. weallian.
Walnuß, f., ‘walnut,’ ModHG. only, from the equiv. Du. walnoot; comp. AS. wealhhnutu, E. walnut, OIc. walhnot; it signifies ‘French or Italian nut.’ The first component is walh-, a term orig. applied by the Teutons to the Kelts (at first to the Volcae), but later to the Romance tribes of France and Italy. See welsch.
Walroß, see Walfisch. —
Walstatt, see Wahlstatt.
walten, vb., ‘to dispose, manage, govern,’ from the equiv. MidHG. walten, OHG. waltan, str. vb.; corresponding to OSax. and Goth. waldan, OIc. valda, AS. wealdan, gewyldan, E. to wield. Teut. waldan (from pre-Teut. waltá-) has a t which properly belonged to the present stem, but was afterwards attached to the verbal stem; comp. the OIc. pret. olla, from a Teut. base *wol-þô-m, ‘I governed.’ The root wal is also indicated by Lat. valere, ‘to be strong,’ as well as OIr. flaith, ‘dominion.’ The allied Slav. words seem to have been borrowed at an early period from Teut.; comp. OSlov. vlada (vlasti) and Lith. valdýti, ‘to govern,’ valadóvas, ‘ruler,’ pavilděti, ‘to possess,’ velděti, ‘to acquire.’
Walze, f., ‘cylinder, roller,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. walze, f. Allied to walzen, ‘to roll,’ MidHG. walzen, str. vb., ‘to roll, turn, revolve,’ OHG. walzan, ‘to turn,’ also OIc. velta, ‘to roll, revolve.’ —
wälzen, vb., ‘to roll, trundle,’ from MidHG. węlzen, OHG. węlzen, walzen (from ​*walzjan), wk. vb., ‘to roll, turn, trundle’; factitive of walzen, which was orig. only intransit. The Teut. root walt, from Aryan wald, has no cognates in non-Teut.
Wamme, Wampe, f., ‘paunch, belly (of a skin), flank, dewlap,’ from MidHG. wamme, older wambê (wampe), f., ‘belly, paunch, lap,’ OHG. wamba, wampa (wamba, wumba), f. Corresponding to Du. wam, ‘belly (of a fish),’ AS. and E. womb, OIc. vǫmb, Goth. wamba, f., ‘belly, body.’ There are no non-Teut. cognates of the common Teut. wambô-, ‘belly, entrails.’ —
Wams, m., ‘doublet, jerkin, waistcoat,’ from MidHG. wambeîs, wambes, n., ‘doublet, garment worn under the coat of mail’; a Romance loan-word; comp. OFr. gambais. MidLat. wambasium is itself a derivative of OHG. and Goth. wamba, ‘body.’
Wand, f., ‘wall, partition’, from MidHG. want (d), OHG. want, f., ‘wall, side’; comp. OSax. and Du. wand. This word is wanting in the other dialects (comp. Goth. waddjus, E. wall). To connect it with the phonetically related winden gives no sense; Wand, lit. ‘turning’?.
Wandel, m., ‘walking, change, behaviour,’ from MidHG. wandel, OHG. wantal, m., ‘retrogression, vicissitude, stain, fault; trade and commerce, communication, intercourse.’ Allied to OHG. wantalôn, MidHG. wandelen, ‘to change, transform, associate’ (wandeln, ‘to walk,’ so too MidHG. wandeln; see the next word). The cognates are based on the root of winden.
wandern, vb., ‘to travel, wander, migrate,’ from MidHG. wandern, ‘to go, walk, travel.’ Derived, like the equiv. wandeln (MidHG. wandeln), from winden.
Wange, f., ‘cheek,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wange, OHG. wanga, n.; Goth. *waggô, n., ‘cheek,’ may be inferred from waggareis, ‘pillow.’ Comp. OSax. wanga, Du. wang, AS. wǫnge (E. wangtooth, ‘jaw- tooth’); the borrowed Ital. word guancia, ‘cheek,’ presupposes a term *wankja. The early history of the word is uncertain. AS. wǫng, OIc. vangr, Goth. waggs, ‘field, plain,’ are usually regarded as the nearest cognates, Wange being explained as ‘surface of the face.’ Most of the names for parts of the body have, however, no such origin.
Wank, m., in the phrase ohne Wank, ‘without hesitation,’ MidHG. âne wanc, OHG. âno wanc; MidHG. wanc, m., ‘want of stability, fickleness.’ Allied to wanken, vb., ‘to totter, vacillate, hesitate,’ from MidHG. wanken, OHG. wanchôn, ‘to totter, waver’; comp. OIc. vakka (for *wankân), ‘to totter.’ Connected with OHG. wanchal, MidHG. wankel, ‘wavering, fickle’ (hence Wankelmut, m., ‘vacillation,’ MidHG. wankelmuot); allied to winken.
wann, adv. and conj., ‘when,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wanne; an old adverb. derivative of the pronominal stem -hwa in wer.
Wanne, f., ‘winnowing fan,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wanne, OHG. wanna, f. As in the case of Wall, it is quite possible that the word was borrowed from Lat. (vannus, ‘winnowing fan’). There exists, however, a genuine Teut. stem from which Wanne can be derived. Goth. winþjan, and the equiv. E. winnow (from AS. windwian) point to a Teut. root winþ, ‘to winnow’ (Lat. ventilare), and hence OHG. wanna might stand for *wanþna. In that case the primit. kinship with Lat. vannus (from which E. fan is borrowed) would be conceivable.
Wanst, m., ‘paunch, belly,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wanst (węnst), OHG. wanast (węnist), m. A specifically HG. word, which, however, like most of the names for parts of the body (comp. Fuß, Herz, and Niere), is genuine Aryan. It is probably connected with Lat. venter, ‘belly,’ but more nearly with Sans. vastí, ‘bladder,’ and vanišṭhú, ‘entrails.’
Wanze, f., ‘bug,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wanze, f. The word first appeared in the 13th cent.; in MidHG. and OHG. the term wantlûs, ‘house-bug,’ is used in the same sense; probably Wanze is an abbreviation of the latter (comp. Spatz with Sperling). For the meaning comp. Czech stěnice, ‘bug,’ from stěna, ‘wall.’
Wappen, n., ‘(coat of) arms, escutcheon,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wâpen, with the variant wâfen, n. The former is the LG. form, which established itself through the chivalry of the Lower Rhine; comp. Tölpel.
Ware, f., ‘goods, merchandise,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. war, f.; a LG. word, corresponding to the equiv. Du. waar, AS. waru, E. ware, OIc. vara, f. Goth. *warô (but not *wazô) must be assumed; if the latter meant lit. ‘valuable article,’ wert Teut. wer-þo-) might be regarded as cognate.
warm, adj., ‘warm,’ from the equiv. ​MidHG. and OHG. warm; corresponding to OSax., Du. and E. warm, Goth. *warms (comp. warmjan, ‘to warm’). A common Teut. adj. based on the Aryan root war, ‘to be hot.’ Comp. OSlov. varŭ, ‘heat,’ with vrěti, ‘to boil, be hot,’ vrŭlŭ, ‘passionate’; Lith. vìrti, ‘to boil.’ The Teut. cognates have, with less reason, been compared with Sans. gharmá, ‘heat of fire, glare of the sun,’ and Gr. θερμός, Lat. formus, ‘warm.’
warnen, vb., ‘to warn, admonish,’ from MidHG. warnen, ‘to watch over, protect,’ OHG. warnen (węrnen), ‘to deny, refuse, decline.’ Corresponding to OSax. węrnian, ‘to decline, withhold.’ AS. wyrnan, E. warn, OIc. varna, ‘to refuse.’ On account of the meaning the connection with OHG. warnôn (see wahren) is dubious; undoubted cognates have not yet been found.
Wart, m., ‘warder,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wart, ‘warder, keeper,’ which appears only as the second component of compounds. —
Warte, f., ‘watch-tower, belfry,’ from MidHG. warte, OHG. warta, f., ‘reconnoitring, ambush.’ —
warten, vb., ‘to wait, await, stay,’ from MidHG. warten, OHG. wartên, ‘to spy, lurk, expect.’ Comp. OSax. wardôn,‘to be on one’s guard, look after,’ AS. weardian, ‘to guard, keep,’ E. to ward, OIc. varða, ‘to watch over, protect’ (also Goth. -wards, ‘keeper,’ in compounds). From OTeut. are borrowed Ital. guardare and Fr. garder, ‘to guard.’ Hence the primary meaning of the cognates is ‘to look after or take charge of some one,’ and so they are undoubtedly connected with the root of wahren.
-wärts, suffix in compounds, e.g., aufwärts, from MidHG. and OHG. -wërtes (ûfwërtes, ‘upwards’); properly an adverb. genit. of MidHG. and OHG. -wërt (MidHG. and OHG. ûfwërt, adv., ‘upwards’). The latter word is used as an adj. in OHG., but is now represented by -wärtig (MidHG. and OHG. -wërtic); comp. OHG. inwërt, adj. ‘internal,’ Goth. andwairþs, adj., ‘present.’ The word is never used independently; since it forms local adjs. in the sense of ‘existing,’ some are inclined to connect it with werden, ‘to arise.’
warum, adv., ‘why, for what reason,’ from MidHG. and late OHG. warumbe (in earlier OHG. hwanta). The first part of the word seems to be the adv. wara, ‘whither,’ which is derived from hwa- (see wer).
Wärwolf, see Werwolf.
Warze, f., ‘wart, teat,’ from the equiv. MidHG. warze, OHG. warza, f.; corresponding to Goth. *wartô, OIc. varta, AS. wearte, E. wart, and the equiv. Du. wrat. The early history of Teut. wartô- (from Aryan wardô-) is uncertain; some connect it with the Aryan root wrd, ‘to grow,’ from which Wurzel is derived, and regard Warze as ‘excrescence’ (comp. OSlov. vrědŭ, ‘eruption’). Others prefer to compare it with AS. wearre, ‘weal,’ Lat. verrûca, ‘wart,’ the rr of which may have arisen by the loss of an intermediate dental.
was, neu. of wer, ‘what’; comp. MidHG. and OHG. waȥ (from hwaȥ); comp. E. what. Corresponding to Lat. quod, Sans. kad.
waschen, vb., ‘to wash,’ from the equiv. MidHG. waschen (węschen), OHG. wascan, str. vb.; comp. Du. wasschen, AS. wasčan, E. to wash, OIc. vaska (Goth. *waskan), ‘to wash.’ The sk of the old forms was orig. only a part of the present stem, but was afterwards joined to the base; it may have been preceded by a dental. Teut. *watska- probably based on the Teut. nominal stem wat, ‘water’ (see Wasser); comp. OIr. usce, ‘water’ Ir. faiscim, W. gwasgu, ‘I press,’ may, however, with equal reason, be connected with waschen.
Wase, f., see Base.
Wasen, m., ‘sod, turf, grass,’ from MidHG. wase, OHG. waso, m., ‘sward, damp soil or mound’; also OHG. wasal, n., ‘damp mound.’ The word is identical with Rasen, just as sprechen with E. to speak; comp. AS. węččęan, wręččęan, ‘to awake,’ and AS. wrîxl with Wechsel. Hence there existed Aryan roots with and without r; we must therefore regard wraso, waso, as the Teut. base; for the area of diffusion see Rasen. From OHG. is derived Fr. gazon, ‘sward.’
Wasser, n., ‘water,’ from the equiv. MidHG. waȥȥer, OHG. waȥȥar; comp. OSax. watar, Du. water, AS. wœter, E. water; beside these West Teut. forms in r (watar-o-) are found the forms in n, Goth. watô, OIc. vatn, n., ‘water.’ The root wat is related by gradation to ut in Otter, and to wêt in AS. wœ̂t, E. wet, North Fris. wiat, ‘damp, wet.’ The other Aryan languages have also corresponding graded forms with the same signification; Aryan ud in Gr. ὕδωρ (Lat. unda?), OSlov. voda, Sans. udán, ‘water, billow,’ udrín, ‘abounding in water, ​and also the root ud, ‘to moisten’ (with which the cognates of ModHG. waschen are connected?). Hence the Aryan root is ū̆d, wē̆d, wō̆d. The Aryan word corresponding to Lat. aqua assumed in Teut. (Goth. ahwa) the meaning ‘river.’ See Au.
Wat, f., ‘dress, garment,’ an archaic word, from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wât, f., which, with its OTeut. cognates, is referred to the Zend root wað, ‘to dress.’
Wate, f., ‘scoop-net, seine,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wate, f.; allied to OIc. vaðr, ‘fishing-line.’ Perhaps it is based on the root of OHG. giwëtan, MidHG. wëtan, ‘to combine, tie together.’
waten, vb., ‘to wade,’ from MidHG. waten, OHG. watan, str. vb., ‘to wade, go, stride'; a common Teut. word; comp. Du. waden, AS. wadan, E. to wade, OIc. vaða, ‘to wade, press forwards’ (especially in water). The borrowed Ital. term guadare has the same meaning, ‘to walk through water'; on the OIc. noun vað, ‘ford,’ and the equiv. Du. wadde, are based Ital. guado, Fr. gué, ‘ford, shallow part of a river'; comp. Weed. The Teut. root wad, ‘to stride, wade,’ is identical with the primit. cognate Lat. vâdere, ‘to wade, ford,’ to which Lat. vǎdum, ‘ford,’ is allied. The Aryan root wā̆dh has not been preserved in other languages.
Watte, f., ‘wadding, fleece,’ ModHG. only, from Du. watte; allied to the equiv. E. wad, Fr. ouate, Ital. ovate. The origin of the cognates is not to be sought for in Teut., since the Teut. words have appeared only in modern times, and no other undoubted cognates are to be found in the group. The word was also borrowed in Romance.
Wau, m., ‘dyer's weed, weld,’ ModHG. only, from Du. wouw (also in earlier ModHG. Waude); comp. E. weld. From Teut. (Goth. *walda-) are derived Fr. gaude and Span. gualda. In non-Teut. there are no cognates that might explain the early history of the word.
weben, vb., ‘to weave, entwine, fabricate,’ from MidHG. wëben, OHG. wëban, str. vb., ‘to weave, work, plait, spin’; comp. Du. weven, AS. wëfan, E. to weave, and the equiv. OIc. vefa. A widely developed Teut. and Aryan root (web from Aryan webh), which testifies to the great antiquity of weaving among the Indo-Europeans. Comp. the Sans. root vabh, ‘to weave,’ in ûrṇavâbhi, ‘spider,’ lit. ‘woollen-weaver’ (also ubh, ‘to bind’), Gr. ὑφαίνω, ‘to weave,’ ὕφος, ‘web.’ Comp. Wabe, Wiebel, and Wespe.
Wechsel, m., ‘change, vicissitude,’ from MidHG. wëhsel, OHG. wëhsal, m., ‘change, barter, exchange, trade’; corresponding to OSax. wëhsal, ‘trade, money,’ Du. wissel. A specifically Ger. derivative with the suffix -sla, from the same root as Lat. vī̆ces, ‘variation, alternation.’ The Aryan root wī̆k (Lat. vī̆c-) appears to have had a variant wī̆g, which occurs in Woche and weihen. For AS. wrîxl see Wasen.
Weck, m., ‘wedge-shaped fine bread,’ from MidHG. węcke, OHG. węcki (from węggi), m., ‘wedge, wedge-shaped bread,’ corresponding to Du. weg, ‘fine white bread,’ AS. węcǧ, E. wedge, and the equiv. OIc. veggr. Teut. wagjo-, from pre-Teut. waghyo-, is usually regarded as primit. cognate with Lith. vagis, ‘wedge, plug.’ For the terms applied to pastry comp. Kipfel and Krapfe.
wecken, vb., ‘to wake, awake,’ from the equiv. MidHG. węcken, OHG. węcchen (from *wakjan), str. vb.; corresponding to Goth. wakjan (uswakjan), OIc. vekja, AS. węččęan, Du. wekken, OSax. wękkian, ‘to awake.’ The common Teut. wakjan has the form and meaning of an old causative, but presupposes a Teut. *wëkan, which does not occur (the apparently primary Goth. wakan, str. vb., was orig. weak). Sans. too has only the causative vâjáy, ‘to stir, incite,’ of the corresponding root; this meaning throws light on the Teut. cognates; Lat. vigil, ‘awake,’ and vegêre, ‘to be lively, excite,’ are also probably allied. The lately formed adj. ModHG. wach shows that from the primit. causative wogéy (Teut. wakj-) numerous cognates might be gradually developed.
Wedel, m., ‘fan, sprinkling brush, tail, tuft, brush (of foxes),’ from the equiv. MidHG. wędel (wadel), OHG. wędil (wadal), m. and n.; also dial. Wadel. The specifically HG. word is a derivative of the root wê (see wehen), with the suffix -þlo; Wedel, lit. ‘implement for blowing.’
weder, particle, in conjunction with noch, from MidHG. newëder, OHG. niwëdar; this is properly a neut. of wëdar, ‘each of two,’ niwëdar... noh, ‘neither of the two... nor.’ Comp. the corresponding development of entweder, and also E. either (lit. ‘each of two’).
Weed, f., ‘horse-ford, ModHG. only, ​from the equivalent Du. wed; allied to waten.
Weg, m., ‘way, road,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wëc (gen. wëges), m.; corresponding to OSax., Du., and AS. weg, E. way, and the equiv. Goth. wigs. A common Teut. derivative of the Teut. root weg, ‘to march, drive, ride’; Lat. via, ‘way,’ is connected with the corresponding Lat. vehere; comp. Wagen and wegen. Allied to weg, adv., ‘away, gone,’ from MidHG. enwëc for in wëc, lit. ‘on the way’; corresponding to Du. weg, AS. onwëg, E. away. —
Wegbreite, ‘plantain,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wëgebreite, OHG. wëgabreita; comp. Du. wegbree, AS. wëgbrœ̂de, E. weybread; an OTeut. term. —
wegen, prep., ‘on account of, with regard to,’ from the equiv. MidHG. von...wëgen (with intervening genit.); see laut and kraft. —
Wegerich, m., ‘plantain,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wëgerī̆ch, OHG. wëgarī̆h, m.; lit. ‘sovereign of the road,’ formed from Teut. rîk, ‘king’ (see Reich).
wegen, vb., in bewegen, ‘to move,’ from MidHG. wëgen, OHG. wëgan, str. vb., ‘to move,’ with which the corresponding causative, OHG. węgen, węcken (from *wagjan), ‘to cause to move,’ was confused; corresponding to Goth. gawigan, ‘to move.’ The primary meaning of the widely diffused Aryan root wegh, preserved in Wagen and Weg, was ‘to move on, march, drive, ride,’ from which the signification ‘to carry, move,’ was afterwards developed in Teut. Comp. Sans. root vah ‘to proceed, drive, ride,’ and the equiv. Lat. vehere, OSlov. vesti.
weh, interj., ‘woe! alas!’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wê; corresponding to Goth. wai, AS. wâ, E. woe. From the Teut. interj. wai is derived the equiv. Ital. and Span. guai (Fr. ouais). As in the case of Lat. vae (Gr. οἷ), weh is to be regarded as an instinctive sound. The subst. Weh, n., ‘plaint, misery, woe,’ seems to be based on the interj.; comp. OSax., OHG., and MidHG. wê (gen. wêwes), and OHG. wêwo, m., wêva, f., ‘woe, pain, sorrow,’ and the borrowed Ital. guajo, ‘sorrow.’ See weinen and wenig.
wehen, vb., ‘to blow,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wœjen (wœn), OHG. wâjan (wâen), wk. vb.; corresponding to Du. waaijen, AS. wâwan, Goth. waian, ‘to blow.’ The originally strong (as in Goth. and AS.) verbal root wê, ‘to blow,’ is found in other Aryan languages; comp. Gr. ἄημι, ‘to blow’ (root ϝη), OSlov. vějati, ‘to blow,’ Sans. root vâ, ‘to blow.’ Allied to Wind.
Wehr, f., ‘defence, resistance, protection,’ from MidHG. węr, OHG. węrî, f., ‘defence, fortification’; allied like ModHG. Wehr, n., ‘dam, weir,’ late MidHG. węr, n., ‘weir,’ to wehren, ‘to protect, defend; hinder, prevent, oppose, forbid.’ This verb is from MidHG. węrn, węrgen, OHG. węrian, węren, wk. vb., ‘to hinder, protect, defend’; comp. Goth. warjan, ‘to forbid, hinder,’ OSax. werian, ‘to hinder.’ On account of the meaning, its connection with wahren (root wor, ‘to look on,’ in Gr. όράω) is not so apparent as its primit. kinship with the Sans. root vṛ, ‘to check, restrain, hinder.’
Weib, n., ‘woman, wife,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wîp (b), n.; corresponding to OSax. wîf, Du. wijf, AS. wîf, E. wife. If is wanting in Goth., certainly not by accident (the word used is qinô, qêns). The term wîbo- is specifically Teut., while Goth. qinô is prehistorically connected with Gr. γυνή, Sans. gnâ, ‘woman.’ Its kinship with Gr. οἴφειν is dubious; it is more probably related to Sans. vip, ‘inspirited, inwardly excited’ (of priests), to which OHG. weibôn, ‘to stagger, be unstable,’ is allied. Hence the Teutons must have coined the term Weib (wîbo- from wîpó-), because in woman they venerated sanctum aliquid et providum. In that case the remarkable gender might perhaps be explained as ‘inspiration, something inspired.’
Weibel, m., ‘sergeant, apparitor,’ from the equiv. MidHG. weibel, OHG. weibil, m.; allied to MidHG. weiben, ‘to move to and fro.’ The variant Webel (in Feldwebel) is derived from LG. or East MidG.
weich, adj., ‘soft, tender, impressible,’ from the equiv. MidHG. weich, OHG. weih (hh); corresponding to OSax. wêk, Du. week, AS. wâc, OIc. veikr, veykr (whence E. weak), ‘soft, tender.’ A derivative of the root of weichen (hence weich, lit. ‘yielding, giving way’).
Weichbild, n., ‘outskirts of a town, precincts,’ from MidHG. wîchbilde, n., ‘outskirts of a town, jurisdiction over a town and its precincts.’ The origin of this compound, first occurring in the 13th cent., is disputed. The assumption that it signifies lit. ‘image of a saint’ (comp. weihen for MidHG. wîch, ‘holy’), does not suffice to explain the actual meaning. The suggested ​lit. meaning, ‘local image,’ is equally unsatisfactory, although MidHG. wîch- in MidHG. wîchgrâve, ‘municipal judge,’ and wîchvride, ‘municipal peace,’ certainly appears in the compound; comp. OSax. wîc, ‘town, place,’ Du. wijk, ‘quarter of a town,’ OHG. wîh(hh), ‘town, city.’ The signification of the second component cannot be explained from ModHG. Bild (MidHG. bilede). There existed beside OHG. and MidHG. bil-lîch, ‘suitable, right, an OHG. *bilida, ‘law, jurisdiction,’ which appears only in MidHG. unbilde (see Unbill); hence MidHG. wîchbilde meant first of all ‘municipal jurisdiction,’ and then ‘municipal territory’ (comp. Sprengel).
Weichen, plur., ‘groin’; the term was first recorded in the 14th cent., denoting the tender parts of the body between the ribs and loins.
weichen, vb., ‘to yield, give away, waver,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîchen, OHG. wîhhan, str. vb.; corresponding to the equiv. OIc. ýkva, víkja, OSax. wîkan, Du. wijken. The Teut. root wī̆q, ‘to yield,’ lit. ‘to make room for some one, give way,’ appears also in Wechsel and weich. Its earlier form wī̆g (in Sans. vij, ‘to yield, flee’) is a variant of wī̆k, which is indicated by Lat. vices, ‘change,’ and espec. by Gr. εἴκω, ‘to yield.’ Comp. also Woche.
Weichsel, f., ‘agriot cherry,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîhsel, OHG. wîhsila, f. The Teut. character of the word is undoubted; in spite of its absence in the other dialects, it is probably derived from the OTeut. period (hence Ital. visciola?). It is connected with OSlov. višnja, Lith. vyszna, ‘agriot cherry.’ The name of the river Vistula, ‘Weichsel’ (Lat. Vistula, AS. Wistle), has nothing to do with the word, nor with Weichselzopf, m., ‘elflock, plica Polonica.’ The latter is said to have come from Poland, where matted hair is often produced by some disease; comp. Pol. wieszczyce, ‘elflock.’
Weid, see Waid.
Weide (1.), f., ‘willow,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîde, OHG. wîda, f.; comp. OIc. vîðer, AS. wîðig, E. withy (isolated MidG. and LG. dialects seem to lengthen the old ĭ in the accented syllable). Prehistoric wī̆t-, ‘willow,’ is indicated also by the equiv. Gr. ἱτέα and Lit. żilwytis, ‘grey willow.’ An Aryan root wī̆, ‘pliant, capable of being twisted,’ has been assumed, and the word compared also with Lat. vîtis, ‘vine, tendril,’ OSlov. viti (Lith. výti), ‘to turn, plait.’
Weide (2.), f., ‘pasture, pasture-land, from MidHG. weide, OHG. weida, f., ‘fodder, food, place for grazing, the search for food and fodder (chase, fishing).’ Allied to OIc. veiðr, ‘chase, fishing,’ AS. wâð, ‘chase,’ and also to ModHG. weiden, ‘to graze, pasture,’ MidHG. weiden, OHG. weidôn, ‘to forage’; MidHG. wiedeman, ‘hunter,’ ModHG. Waidmann (comp. the proper name Weidmann with Jäger, and also Weidner, from MidHG. weidenœre, ‘hunter, sportsman’). If the cognates be traced back to a root wai, ‘to forage,’ Lat. vê-nâri, ‘to chase, hunt,’ may be connected with it; comp. also the Sans. root vî, ‘to fly at, attack something, take food.’ Comp. farther Eingeweide, to which ModHG., ausweiden is allied.
Weiderich, f., ‘willow herb, ModHG. only; so called from its willow-like leaves; the term is formed like Wegerich and Hederich.
weidlich, adj., ‘brave, stout, vigorous,’ from MidHG. weidelī̆ch, weidenī̆ch, ‘lively, pert, distinguished, grand’; lit. ‘befitting the chase,’ from Weide (2); see the latter also for Weidmann.
weifen, vb., ‘to wind, reel,’ from MidHG. weifen, wk. vb., ‘to swing, wind on a reel,’ a factitive of MidHG. wîfen, str. vb., ‘to swing, wind.’ It is based on a Teut. root wī̆p, ‘to turn,’ which appears also in Goth. weipan, ‘to wreathe’ (waips, ‘wreath’); with this root Lat. vibrare, ‘to brandish, vibrate,’ is primit. cognate. Allied to Wipfel and Wimpel.
Weigand, m., ‘warrior, hero,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wîgant, m.; not an inherited term, but borrowed in the last century from MidHG. literature. It is a West Teut. form for ‘warrior’; comp. AS. wîgend, OSax. wîgand; properly a pres. partic. of the nearly obsolete (in West Teut.) root wī̆g, ‘to fight’ (comp. Goth. weihan and *wigan, str. vb., ‘to fight’). This is identical with the Aryan root wī̆k, ‘to be strong, bold,’ which appears in Lat. vincere, ‘to conquer,’ OIr. fichim, ‘to fight,’ as well as in OSlov. vĕkŭ, ‘strength’ (equiv. to OIc. veig, ‘strength’); comp. Lith. wikrus, ‘brisk.’ Allied to weigern and Geweih.
weigern, vb., ‘to refuse, deny,’ from MidHG. weigern, OHG. weigarôn, ‘to oppose, refuse’; allied to OHG. weigar, ‘foolhardy,’ lit. perhaps ‘obstinate, resisting.’ ​This is connected with the Teut. root wī̆g, ‘to fight,’ mentioned under the preceding word.
Weihe, f. (Weih, m.), ‘kite,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîe, OHG. wîe (wîjo), m.; a specifically HG. word (comp. Du. wouw?), Connected with the root wī̆, ‘to chase,’ mentioned under Weide (2)?. In that case Weih would mean lit. ‘hunter, sportsman.’
weihen, vb., ‘to consecrate, dedicate,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wîhen (from *wîhjan), wk. vb., ‘to sanctify’; a derivative of the OTeut. adj. wîho-, ‘sacred, holy’; comp. MidHG. wîch (nom. wîher), OHG. and OSax. wîh, Goth. weihs. The adj. has also been preserved in Weihnachten, from MidHG. wîhen-nahten, which is properly a fusion of MidHG. ze wîhen nahten (comp. Mitternacht). Nacht (which see) has preserved in this compound of the heathen period the meaning ‘day’ (the old Teutons celebrated their winter feast from December 26 to January 6); among the Anglo-Saxons Beda transmitted the term môdra niht, ‘the mothers' nights.’ For the adoption of the old word in the service of Christianity, comp. Ostern (also taufen?). Moreover, E. Yule preserves another OTeut. designation of the same festival; comp. AS. giuli (*gŷle), Goth. jiuleis (OIc. ýler), ‘January,’ OIc. jól, AS. geól, ‘Christmas.’
Weihrauch, m., ‘incense,’ from MidHG. wîchrouch (wîhrouch), OHG. wîhrouh, m., lit. ‘holy perfume.’ Weichbild has no connection with these words.
Weiher, m., ‘fish-pond,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîwer, wîwœre, OHG. wîwâri, wîâri, m. (OHG. also ‘stable’); corresponding to OLG. wîweri. Borrowed in the pre-OHG., probably in the Roman period, from Lat. vîvârium, ‘park, preserve, fish-pond’; corresponding to Fr. vivier (Du. vijver), Ital. vivajo, ‘fish-pond.’ Comp. also Weiler.
weil, conj., ‘because,’ from late MidHG. (rare) wîle; in classical MidHG. die wîle, conj., ‘so long as, during, while, since, because’ (hence ModHG. dieweil); OHG. dia wîla unz, ‘so long as’; properly accus. of Weile. —
weiland, adv., ‘formerly, of yore,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîlent, wîlen; the t form is a recent extension of the earlier word (Du. wijlen). Based on OHG. hwîlôm, ‘at times,’ dat. plur. of Weile, f., ‘while, space of time, leisure.’ The latter is based on MidHG. wîle, OHG. wîla (hwîl), f., ‘time, period of time, hour’; corresponding to OSax. hwîl, hwîla, ‘time,’ Du. wîjl, E. while, Goth. hweila, ‘time.’ The verb weilen, ‘to stay, tarry, sojourn,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wîlē̆n, ‘to stop, stay, sojourn,’ in connection with OIc. hvíla, ‘bed,’ hvíld, ‘rest,’ suggests that Weile meant lit. ‘resting time.’ It has been compared with the Lat. root qui (quiê), ‘to rest’ in quietus, tranquillus, as well as with OSlov. počiti, ‘to rest’; Gr. καιρός, ‘point of time,’ is perhaps cognate.
Weiler, m., ‘village, hamlet,’ from MidHG. wîler, m., ‘small farm, hamlet.’ OHG. wîlâri occurs only as the second component in compound names of places (e.g., Brûwîlâri, equiv. to Brauweiler). MidLat. vîllâre, ‘farm’ (Fr. villier), was adopted in local names, just like Lat. villa (OHG. -wíla, e.g., in Rotwíla, equiv. to Rotweil); comp. Fr. ville, ‘town.’ The word seems to have been borrowed contemporaneously with Weiher.
Wein, m., ‘wine,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wîn, m.; corresponding to OSax. wîn, m. and n., Du. wijn, m., AS. wîn, E. wine, and the equiv. Goth. wein, n. There is no phonological evidence to show that the word was borrowed. The assumption that it was adopted from Lat. vînum (equiv. to Goth. wein, n.), or rather from Low Lat. vînus, m. (equiv. to OHG. wîn, m.), is probable from the accounts of ancient writers. The period of adoption was perhaps the first cent. B.C., hence the early diffusion among the OTeut. dialects. An earlier connection of the Teut. with the Lat. word is improbable (Lat. v equiv. to Teut. w in old loanwords; comp. Pfau, Weiher, Weiler, with Vers and Brief). With regard to the Southern culture of the vine, comp. the following words borrowed from Lat. — Kelter (also Presse), Kelch, Lauer, Spund, Most, Torkel, Trichter, and Winzer. Note, too, Swiss wümmen, OHG. windemôn (older *wintimmôd), equiv. to Lat. vindêmiare; Swiss Wümmet, from OHG. windemôd, *wintimmôd, equiv. to Lat. vindêmiae (whence also the equiv. OIr. fínime, ‘vintage,’ also fín, ‘wine’).
weinen, vb., ‘to weep, cry,’ from the equiv. MidHG. weinen, OHG. weinôn; comp. Du. weenen, AS. wânian, OIc. veina, ‘to weep.’ Probably a derivative of the Teut. interj. wai (see weh); hence weinen, lit. ‘to lament’ (the origin of the word would be similar to that of ächzen). It is also possible that Goth. qainôn, ‘to weep, is based in the other dialects on wai, ‘woe.’
​ weis, adj., in einem, etwas weis machen, ‘to make one believe, hoax a person,’ from OHG., late MidHG. einen wîs machen, ‘to inform a person, instruct him’ (in ModHG. in an ironical sense). Comp. MidHG. and OHG. wîs tuon, ‘to inform, instruct.’ Allied to weise, adj., ‘wise, prudent, cunning,’ From MidHG. and OHG. wîs (also MidHG. wîse, OHG. wîsi), adj., ‘intelligible, experienced, acquainted with, learned, wise.’ A common Teut. adj.; comp. Goth. weis, ‘knowing,’ OSax. and AS. wîs, ‘wise, knowing,’ E. wise, Du. wijs. The primary form of the word was a verbal adj. from wissen (wîso- for wîtto-). Allied to the following word.
Weise, f., ‘manner, mode, way,’ from MidHG. wîse, OHG. wîsa, f., ‘method’; corresponding to the equiv. AS. wîse, E. wise, Du. wijze, OSax. wîsa. From this West Teut. word (in OIc. vísa) the equiv. Rom. cognates, Ital. guisa, Fr. guise, are derived. Teut. wîsô-n- seems, like weise, to be derived from the Teut. root wī̆t, ‘to know’; hence Weise, lit. ‘knowledge’?. See Art. — The suffix -weise (e.g., in teilweise) has been developed in ModHG. in connection with MidHG. phrases, such as in rëgenes wîs, ‘like rain.’
Weisel, m., ‘queen bee,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîsel, m., lit. ‘leader, guide.’ Allied to weisen, vb., ‘to show, direct, point,’ from MidHG. wîsen wk. (str.) vb., OHG. wîsen (from *wîsjan), wk. vb., ‘to show, direct, instruct’; a derivative of weise (hence lit. ‘to make wise’).
weissagen, vb., ‘to foretell, prophesy, predict,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîssagen, OHG. wîssagôn, wk. vb.; it is not organically connected with sagen. Based on OHG. wîȥȥago (wîȥago), ‘prophet,’ a derivative of the Teut. root wī̆t, ‘to know’ (comp. AS. wîtga, ‘prophet’). This form was corrupted to wîssagôn in the OHG. period by connecting it with wîs, ‘wise,’ and sago, ‘speaker,’ or rather with OHG. forasago (OLG. wâr-sago), ‘prophet.’ OHG. wîȥȥago is properly a subst. formed from the Teut. adj. *wîtag, ‘knowing, intelligible, wise’ AS. (wîtig).
Weistum, n., ‘legal precedent, record,’ from late MidHG. (rare) wîstuonm, m. and n., ‘sentence, instruction (to the jury),’ lit. ‘wisdom’; allied to weise (comp. E. wisdom).
weiß, adj., ‘white, blank,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wîȥ (from hwîȥ), adj.; corresponding to Goth. hweits, OIc. hvítr, AS. and OSax. hwít, Du. wit, E. white. This common Teut. term (hwîto-) is based on an Aryan root kwī̆d, kwī̆t, from which are derived Sans. çvit, ‘to be white, to shine’ (so too çvêtá, çvitrá, çvitna, ‘white’), Zend spaẹta, ‘white,’ OSlov. světŭ, ‘light,’ and Lith. szvaitýti, ‘to make bright.’ Goth. hwaiteis (ModHG. Weizen, ‘wheat’), is related by gradation.
weit, adj., ‘wide, broad, ample,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wît; corresponding to OSax. and AS. wîd, E. wide, Du. wijd, OIc. víðr, ‘roomy, extended, spacious.’ Allied to Sans. vîtá, ‘straight’?. From its form Teut. vî-do- seems to be a partic. derivative of a root wī̆.
Weizen, m., ‘wheat,’ from MidHG. weitze, OHG. weizzi, m. The dial. (unknown only in Bav.?) variant Weißen (Swiss, UpSwab., Wetterau, UpHess., Hennegau, and Thuringian) is based on MidHG. weiȥe, OHG. weiȥi (tz and sz interchanged in this word on account of the older inflectional interchange of tj and ti; comp. reizen and heizen); hence Weißbrod as well as Weizen?. Corresponding to the equiv. Goth. hwaiteis (dat. hwaitja), OIc. hveite, AS. hwœ̂te, E. wheat, Du. weit, OSax. hwêti. Lith. kvëtẏs, ‘grains of wheat,’ is borrowed from Teut. Weizen is rightly regarded, on account of the white flour, as a derivative of weiß (comp. Sans. çvitnyá çvêtá, ‘white’).
welch, pron., ‘which, what,’ from MidHG. wëlch, wëlich, interr. pron., OHG. wë-, wie-lī̆h (hh and h), interr. pron., ‘who, which’; corresponding to Goth. hwileiks (hwêleiks), OSax. hwilik, Du. welk, AS. hwylč, E. which. A common Teut. derivative, from the pronominal stem hwe- (see wer) and the suffix lîko-, ‘constituted’ (see gleich and solch); hence welch, lit. ‘as constituted.’
Welf, m., ‘whelp, cub,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wëlf (earlier hwëlf, m. and n.); corresponding to OIc. hvelpr, AS. hwëlp (E. whelp). This Teut. word hwelpo-, which was used at an early period, espec. of ‘cubs,’ has no cognates in the non-Teut. languages. Wolf is not allied.
welk, adj., ‘withered, faded,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wëlc (wëlch), ‘moist, mild, lukewarm, faded’; peculiar to HG.; connected with MidE. welken, E. to welk, and Wolke. The primary meaning of the Teut. root welk, from Aryan welg, is ‘to be moist,’ as is indicated also by OSlov. vlaga, ‘moistness,’ vlûgûkû, ‘moist,’ Lith. vìlgyti, ‘to ​moisten,’ Lett. wélgans, wálgans, ‘moist,’ unless these are more closely allied to AS. wlacu, wlœc, ‘moist.’ From a form *walki, connected with OHG. wëlk, Fr. gauche, ‘left,’ is usually derived.
Welle, f., ‘wave, billow, swell,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wëlle, OHG. wëlla, f.; a word peculiar to HG., but found, however, in the OTeut. vocabulary. It is primit. allied to the equiv. OSlov. vlŭna, Lith. wilnìs, and is based like these on an Aryan root wel, ‘to turn, roll,’ which appears in OHG. wëllan and wallen. Comp. Lat. volvere, Gr. εἴλύειν, ‘to roll,’ as well as Sans. ûrmi, equiv. to OHG. walm, AS. wylm, ‘billow.’
Wels, m., ‘shad’ (fish), from the equiv. late MidHG. wels. Its connection with Walfisch (stem hwalo-) is not impossible, if MidHG. wels is based on OHG. *węlis (from *hwalis-); comp. OHG. węlira, ‘whale.’
welsch, adj., ‘foreign, outlandish (espec. Italian or French),’ from MidHG. węlsch (węlhisch, walhisch), ‘Romance, French, Italian,’ OHG. walhisc, ‘Romance’; a derivative of MidHG. Walch, OHG. Walh, ‘one of the Latin race.’ The corresponding AS. Wealh was applied to the ‘Kelt,’ and this is the lit. meaning of the word (comp. the Keltic tribal name Volcae, on which Teut. Walho- is based; it was applied to the Latin race when they occupied Gaul, which had been formerly inherited by the Kelts. Comp. further Walnuß and the E. local names Wales (AS. Wălas) and Cornwall.
Welt, f., ‘world, society,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wëlt, usually wërlt, werëlt, OHG. wëralt (worolt), f.; the MidHG. and OHG. word has also the earlier signification ‘age, saeculum.’ Comp. OSax. wërold, ‘earthly life, age'; Du. wereld, AS. weorold, worold, E. world, have the ModHG. meaning. The double sense ‘world' and ‘age' can hardly be explained from one primary form; the latter meaning is linked with OIc. ǫld, AS. yld, ‘age'; the former seems to be based on a collective sense, ‘humanity,’ which follows from OLG. ęldi, AS. ylde, OIc. elder, ‘men.’ The first part of the compound (Goth. waír-aldus) is Teut. wër, ‘man, person’ (see Werwolf). Welt, like Himmel and Hölle is peculiar to Teut.
Wende, f., ‘turn, turning-point, change,’ from MidHG. węnde, OHG. węntî, f., ‘boundary, turning back, turn.’ —
Wendeltreppe, f., ‘winding stairs,’ based on the equiv. late MidHG. węndelstein. —
wenden, vb., ‘to turn, change,’ from MidHG. węnden, OHG. węnten (from *wantjan), wk. vb., ‘to overturn, cause to retrograde, hinder.’ Comp. OSax. węndian, Goth. wandjan, AS. węndan, ‘to turn,’ E. to wend, Du. wenden, ‘to change’; a factitive of winden. Hence auswendig, ‘by heart,’ MidHG. ûȥwęndic, ‘externally, abroad’ (etwas auswendig können is a ModHG. phrase, and is here used in the sense of ‘externally,’ i.e., ‘without looking into a book’); inwendig, ‘internally,’ from MidHG. innęwendec. —
gewandt, adj., ‘skilled, adroit, dexterous,’ from MidHG. gewant, lit. ‘directed to the circumstances, appropriate to the circumstances,’ i.e., ‘constituted somehow or other.’
wenig, adj., ‘little, few,’ from MidHG. wênec, weinec (g), OHG. wênag weinag, adj. As a derivative of the Teut. root wai (see weh and weinen), the adj. signified primarily in OHG. and MidHG. ‘deplorable, lamentable, unfortunate’ (so too Goth. wainags); from ‘unfortunate,’ the MidHG. ‘weak, small, trifling, little’ is derived.
wenn, conj., ‘if, when,’ from MidHG. węnne, wanne; identical with wann. Comp. the following word.
wer, pron., ‘who,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wër (earlier hwër), interr. pron.; the nom. sing. preserves the r as a representative of old s; comp. Goth. hwas, ‘who,’ also AS. hwâ, E. who. The Teut. stem of the interr. pron. was hwa-, hwe-, from Aryan ko, ke, which is found in non-Teut. in Lat. quo-d, Gr. πότερος, (κότερος), Lith. and Sans. kas, ‘who.’ Hence wann, weder, welch, wenn, wie, and wo. Further details belong to grammar.
werben, vb., ‘to sue (for), solicit,’ from MidHG. wërben (wërven), OHG. wërban, wërvan (earlier hwërfan), str. vb., ‘to turn, walk to and fro, strive hard, make an effort, be active, be doing something, accomplish something.’ For the evolution of meaning of ModHG. werben, comp. Lat. ambire. The lit. sense of the Teut. root hwërf is ‘to move to and fro,’ as is shown by Wirbel. Comp. OSax. hwërƀan, ‘to walk to and fro,’ Du. werven, ‘to woo,’ Goth. hwaírban (and hwarbôn), ‘to wander.’ A corresponding Aryan root qerp (kerp) is not found in non-Teut. Comp. Werft (2).
Werd, equiv. to Werder.
werden, vb., ‘to become, grow, get,’ ​from the equiv. MidHG. wërden, OHG. wërdan; a common Teut. vb.; comp. Goth. waírþan, AS. weorþan (obsolete in E.), Du. worden, ‘to become.’ The Teut. strong verbal root werþ has no corresponding and equiv. Aryan wert, yet it is undoubtedly connected with Lat. verto, ‘to turn,’ OSlov. vrŭtěti, vratiti, ‘to turn,’ Sans. vṛt, ‘to turn, roll’; ‘to turn’ developed in Teut. into ‘to become, arise’ (comp. Sans. sam vṛt, ‘to arise’). The earlier meaning ‘to turn’ is rightly supposed to exist in the suffix -wärts (which see), as well as in MidHG. wirtel, ‘spindle ring,’ equiv. to OSlov. vrěteno, ‘distaff.’
Werder, m., ‘small island in a river,’ from MidHG. węrt (d), m., ‘island, peninsula,’ OHG. węrid, warid, f., ‘island.’ Corresponding to AS. waroð, ‘bank, shore,’ with AS. wœr, OIc. ver, n., ‘sea’ (for the meaning comp. Au). Its primit. kinship with Sans. vâr, ‘water,’ is not certain.
werfen, vb., ‘to cast, throw,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërfen, OHG. wërfan (wërpfan); a common Teut. str. vb.; comp. Goth. waírpan, OIc. verpa, AS. weorpan, E. to warp, Du. werpen, OSax. wërpan, ‘to throw.’ From Teut. are borrowed OFr. guerpir, Fr. déguerpir, ‘to leave in the lurch.’ The Teut. root werp contained in these words is based upon werq, from pre-Teut. werg (comp. Wolf with Gr. λύκος, fünf with quinque, and vier with quattnor); the primit. allied Sans. vṛj, ‘to throw down,’ and OSlov. vrŭgą (vrěšti), ‘to throw,’ have a guttural sound. Allied to the following word and to Würfel.
Werft (1.), m., ‘woof,’ from MidHG. and OHG. warf, n. (comp. ModHG. Hüfte from MidHG. huf), ‘warp, yarn, or thread for the warp.’ Corresponding to the equiv. AS. wearp, E. warp, OIc. varp, which are usually derived from the vb. werfen. Lith. verpti, ‘to spin,’ is perhaps derived from the Ger. word.
Werft (2.), £. and n., ‘wharf,’ ModHG. only; borrowed from LG., like many nautical expressions; comp. Du. werf (scheepstimmerwerf), E. wharf, and the equiv. Swed. varf. The word cannot, on account of the consonants, be connected with werfen. The cognates signify lit. ‘work-place,’ and are related to the verbal root of werben (which see).
Werg, n., ‘tow, oakum,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërch, wërc (for the double form comp. Storch), OHG. wërah (hh), and wërc, n.; also OHG. âwirihhi, âwurihhi, n., ‘tow, stuppa.’ The OHG. and MidHG. forms of Werg are identical with those of Werf, hence the former is usually derived from the latter; this, however, does not explain the development of meaning. OHG. âwurihhi, ‘tow,’ may be connected with Werf and wirken, since it means ‘the refuse produced by work.’ Perhaps the simple word was developed from the compound.
Wergeld, n., from the equiv. MidHG. wërgëld, ‘fine for slaughter,’ lit. ‘man's, person’s money.’ For the first component comp. Werwolf, Welt.
Werk, n., ‘work, deed, production,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërc (wërch), OHG. wërc, wërah (hh), n.; for the double forms comp. the cognate Werg. Based on a common Teut. werko-, ‘work,’ which is attested by OIc. verk, AS. weorc, E. work, Du. and OSax. wërk. For further details concerning the root, to which Gr. ἔργον is allied, see wirken.
Wermut, m., ‘wormwood, bitterness,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërmuot, wërmüete, f. and n., OHG. wërmuota (wormuota), f. There is no clear etymological connection with Wurm, to which this uncompounded word (comp. Armut) is instinctively allied (comp. E. wormwood, from AS. wërmôd, wormôd). Its relation to warm too is not certain.
Wert (1.), m., equiv. to Werder, ‘river island.’
Wert (2.), m., ‘worth, value, price,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërt (d), OHG. wërd, n., ‘price, costly articles, splendour’; comp. OSax. wërð, ‘hero, reward,’ Goth. waírþs, ‘worth, price'; an adj. used as a subst. Based on the adj. wert, ‘worth, dear,’ from MidHG. wërt (d), OHG. wërd, ‘costing a certain price, saleable at,’ then absolutely ‘of high worth, splendid, distinguished.’ Corresponding to Goth. waírþs, ‘worthy, fit,’ AS. weorþ, and E. worth. On account of its meaning its connection with werden is improbable. Lith. wertas and OSlov. vrĕdŭ, with which it is sometimes compared, are probably Teut. loanwords. It may be related to the Aryan root wor, ‘to regard, contemplate’ (see wahren), of which wert might be a particip. derivative in the sense of ‘esteemed'; see also Ware.
Werwolf, m., ‘werewolf,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërwolf (not recorded in OHG.). It is undoubtedly based on an OTeut. word; comp. AS. wërewulf, E. ​werewolf. From the AS. word is derived MidLat. guerulfus, OFr. garou, whence by tautology ModFr. loup-garou, ‘werewolf.’ The presupposed OTeut. werowulfo- means lit. ‘man-wolf,’ i.e., a man who roams about in the form of a wolf (Gr. λυκάνθρωπος). The first component is OHG., OSax., and AS. wër (Goth. waír), m., ‘man,’ primit. cognate with Lat. vir, Sans. vîras, ‘man.’
Wesen, n., ‘being, creature, nature, disposition, manners,’ from MidHG. wësen, n., ‘sojourn, domestic affairs, manner of living, quality, situation.’ An infinit. used as a subst.; MidHG. wësen, OHG. wësan (to which the ModHG. pret. forms of the vb. sein are allied), str. vb.; corresponding to Goth. wisan, ‘to be, tarry, stay’ (AS. wësan; E. was, belong to the sphere of grammar). The verbal rootves, ‘to be, abide,’ to which währen is allied, is found in non-Teut., in the Sans. root vas, ‘to stay, tarry, pass the night.’ — Allied to wesentlich adj., ‘essential,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wësentîch (wësenlîch); the t is excrescent.
Wespe, f., ‘wasp,’ from the equiv. MidHG. węspe, earlier węfse, f. (m.), OHG. węfsa (earlier wafsa), f.; a genuine Teut. word; comp. AS. wœfs, wœps, m., E. wasp. Hence we must probably assume a Teut. wafs-, beside which Teut. wabis-, wabit-, is presupposed by Bav. wębes, East Thuringian wêpschen, wêwetzchen (in West Thur. wispel). Aryan wops- (wobhes-), which points to the verbal root weben (see Wiebel), is almost as widely diffused in the Aryan languages as Hornisse; OBret. guohi, ‘wasps’ (from wops-), Lith. vapsà, ‘gadfly,’ OSlov. vosa, ‘wasp,’ and probably also by gradation Lat. vespa. In the MidHG. period a form vespe was borrowed from Lat. vespa; on the other hand, Fr. guêpe is probably due on account of its initial sound to Ger. influence.
Weste, f., ‘vest, waistcoat,’ adopted as a current term in the last cent. Since the word is unknown to the older dialects, it must have been borrowed from Fr. veste (Lat. vestis); had it, however, appeared earlier in the OTeut. dialects, it would have been primit. allied to Lat. vestis. The modern dial. form, MidHG. wester, ‘christening gown’ (found espec. in compounds), is based on the same Aryan root as Lat. vestis. With the Aryan root wes, ‘to clothe’ (equiv. to Sans. vas, Gr. ἔννυμι for *ϝεσ-νυμς, Lat. ves-tis), are also connected Goth. wasjan, ‘to dress,’ OHG. and AS. węrian, E. to wear.
Westen, m., ‘west,’ from the equiv. Mid HG. wësten, OHG. wëstan, n.; also ModHG. West, which is found in OHG. and MidHG. only as the first part of compounds (e.g., OHG. Wästfâlo, MidHG. Wëstvâle, ‘Westphalian’). Comp. Du. west (in compounds), E. west (whence Fr. ouest), OIc. vestr, n. The explanation of the cognates is difficult, espec. on account of the old term Visegothae, ‘Visigoths, West Goths,’ transmitted by Lat. One is inclined to connect the word with Lat. ves-per, Gr. ἑσπέρα, ‘evening,’ and to regard it as the ‘evening quarter’; comp. the corresponding explanations of Süd and Ost (see also Abend).
wett, adj., ‘equal, even,’ from late MidHG. wętte, adj., ‘paid off.’ A recent derivative of the noun Wette, f., ‘bet, wager,’ MidHG. wętte, węte, węt (tt), n. and f., OHG. wętti, węti, n., ‘mortgage contract, legal obligation, pledge, stake (in a bet), compensation, fine’ (the last three meanings first occur in MidHG.). Comp. AS. wędd, OIc. veð, Goth. wadi, n., ‘pledge, earnest.’ From OTeut. wadjo-, the Romance cognates, Ital. gaggio and Fr. gage, ‘pledge,’ are borrowed. The following are also primit. allied to Teut. Wette; Lat. văs (vadis), ‘surety,’ vădimonium, ‘bail, security,’ Lith. vadůti, ‘to redeem a pledge,’ and perhaps also Gr. ἄεθλος (root ϝεθ), ‘prize (of contest),’ which point to an Aryan root wedh.
Wetter, n., ‘weather, storm, tempest,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wëter, OHG. wëtar, n.; corresponding to OSax. wëdar, ‘weather, tempest, storm,’ Du. weder, weêr, AS. wëder, E. weather, and the equiv. OIc. veðr (Goth. *widra- is wanting). If Teut. wedro- is based on pre-Teut. wedhro-, OSlov. vedro, n., ‘fair weather’ (vedrŭ, ‘bright, clear’), is related to it. It is possible, though less probable, that wetró- is the Aryan base, with which also OSlov. větrŭ, ‘air, wind’ (from the root wê, ‘to blow’), coincides. —
Wetterleuchten, n., ‘sheet lighting,’ corrupted from late MidHG. (so even now in ModHG. dials.) wëterleich (comp. Norw. vederleik), ‘lightning’; comp. MidHG. leichen, ‘to dance, skip’ (see Leich).
wetzen, vb., ‘to whet, sharpen,’ from MidHG. wętzen, OHG. węzzen (from *hwazzjan), wk. vb., ‘to sharpen’; comp. Du. wetten, AS. hwęttan, E. to whet, OIc. hvetja, ‘to sharpen.’ A common Teut. wk. vb., properly strong. The Teut. strong verbal root hwat, from Aryan kwod (by gradation ​kud), seems to be equiv. to the Sans. root cud, ‘to whet, sharpen, set on fire, incite’ (comp. AS. hwęttan, OIc. hvetja, ‘to excite, incite,’ prop. ‘to sharpen’). The older Teut. periods preserve the adjs. hwassa- (Goth. hwass, OHG. and MidHG. was) and hwato- (AS. hwœt, OHG. waȥ), ‘sharp,’ from the root hwat.
wichsen, vb., ‘to black, polish (boots), wax (thread), from late MidHG. wihsen, OHG. wahsen, giwęhsen, wk. vb., ‘to wax’; a derivative of Wachs.
Wicht, m., ‘wight, creature, ragamuffin,’ from MidHG. wiht, m. and n., ‘creature, being, thing’ (used espec. of hobgoblins, dwarfs, &c.), OHG. wiht, m. and n., ‘thing, being, person’; comp. also the meanings of Bösewicht. Corresponding to OSax. wiht, ‘thing’ (plur. ‘demons’), Du. wicht, ‘little child, AS. wiht, ‘being, thing, demon,’ E. wight. Goth distinguishes between waihts, f., ‘thing,’ and ni-waiht, n., ‘nothing’ on which Ger. nicht and nichts are based). The meaning ‘personal or living being’ is probably derived from the primary sense ‘thing,’ for the early history of which the cognate languages give no clue except through OSlov. veštĭ, ‘thing,’ which, like Teut. wihti-, is based upon Aryan wekti-. The cognates can scarcely be explained by wiegen and wägen. MidHG. wihtelîn, wihtelmęnnelîn are still used dial. for ‘hobgoblins, dwarfs.’
wichtig, adj., ‘weighty, important,’ ModHG. only; a recent variant of gewichtig, lit. ‘having weight.’ See Gewicht.
Wicke (1.), f., ‘vetch, tare,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wicke, OHG. wiccha, f.; corresponding to Du. wikke. Borrowed from Lat. vicia, ‘vetch,’ whence the equiv. Ital. veccia, Fr. vesce (E. vetch). The period at which it was borrowed (contemporaneous with Spelt?) is fixed by the representation of Lat. v by w (comp. Pfau, Pfühl with Vogt and Veilchen), as well as the retention of the Lat. c as k (comp. Kreuz).
Wicke (2.), f. ‘wick,’ see Wieche.
Wickel, m. and n., ‘roll, curl-paper, distaff-ful (of flax),’ from MidHG. wickel, wickelin, OHG. wicchilî, wicchilîn, n., ‘roll, a quantity of flax or wool to spin off’; cognate with Wicke, ‘wick.’ Further cognates are wanting to explain the early history of the word. Allied to wickeln, vb. ‘to roll, wind, swathe,’ from late MidHG. wickeln, lit. ‘to make into the form of a roll’; also ModHG. Wickel, f., ‘swaddling clothes.’
Widder, m., ‘ram,’ from MidHG. wider, OHG. widar, m.; corresponding to Goth. wiþrus, m. (ram? lamb?), AS. wëðer, E. wether, Du. weder, ‘ram, wether.’ Teut. weþru-, from pre-Teut. wétru-, is primit. allied to Lat. vitulus, ‘calf,’ Sans. vatsá, ‘calf, young animal,’ which are derived from Aryan wet-,‘year’; comp. Lat. vetus, ‘aged,’ Gr. ἔτος, Sans. vatsara, ‘year.’ Hence Widder means lit. ‘young animal, yearling.’
wider, prep. and adv., ‘against,’ from MidHG. wider, OHG. widar, ‘against, towards, back, once more’; corresponding to Goth. wiþra, prep., ‘against, before,’ OSax. wiðar (and wið), prep., ‘against,’ Du. weder, weêr, AS. wiðer (and wið), ‘against’ (hence E. with). Teut. wiþrô, ‘against,’ and the equiv. wiþe are based on the Aryan prep. wi, ‘against,’ which is preserved in Sans. vi, ‘asunder, apart’ (to which vitarám, ‘further,’ is allied). Comp. hinter. — Allied to widern, anwidern, vb., ‘to loathe, be offensive,’ lit. ‘to be opposed,’ from MidHG. widern, ‘to be opposite.’ —
Widerpart, m., ‘opponent, opposition,’ from MidHG. widerparte, f. and m., ‘opposing party, enmity, enemy, opponent,’ allied to MidHG. part, ‘part,’ which is based on Lat. pars (Fr. part). —
Widersacher, m., ‘adversary,’ from MidHG. widersache, OHG. widarsahho, m., ‘opponent in a lawsuit, accused, opponent (generally)’; allied to Sache, which orig. meant ‘legal dispute.’ —
widerspenstig, adj., ‘refractory, perverse, obstinate,’ from the equiv. MidHG. (rare) widerspęnstec, usually widerspœne, widerspœnec; allied to MidHG. widerspân, also spân, span (nn), ‘dispute, quarrel.’ —
Widerthon, m., ‘spleenwort,’ from the equiv. MidHG. widertân (-tât, -tôt); an obscure word; it has probably been corrupted. —
widerwärtig, adj., ‘adverse, repugnant, repulsive,’ from MidHG. widerwertic, -wartic (widërwert, -wart), adj., ‘striving against, refractory, hostile,’ OHG. widarwart, wartic (g), ‘opposed.’ Comp. wärts —
widrig, adj., ‘contrary, adverse, repugnant,’ ModHG. only.
widmen, vb., ‘to dedicate, devote, consecrate,’ from MidHG. widemen, OHG. widimen, ‘to furnish with a dowry, endow’; allied to OHG. widamo, ‘wedding present’ (see Wittum).
wie, adv., ‘how, in what way,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wie, OHG. wio, which is derived from *hwêu for *hewu, hwaiwô; the last form is indicated only by Goth. ​hwaiwa, ‘how.’ Based on the Teut. pronom. stem hwa-, Aryan qe, qo. The formation of pre-Teut. koiwô is identical with that of Sans. êvā̆, ‘in this manner,’ from the pronom. stem a, ‘this.’ Another form is preserved in E. how, from the equiv. AS. hû (equiv. to OSax. and Teut. hwô).
Wiebel, m., ‘beetle,’ from MidHG. wibel, OHG. wibil, m.; corresponding to OSax. wiƀil, AS. wifel, E. weevil. The literal meaning of this word as a derivative of weben (see also Wespe) is probably ‘weaver’ (because it surrounds itself with a web on changing into a chrysalis state). Comp. Lith. vabalas, ‘beetle.’
Wieche, m., ‘wick,’ from MidHG. wieche, m. and f., ‘twisted yarn as wick or lint,’ OHG. wiohha (wioh?), ‘wick’; also MidHG. and ModHG. (dial.) wicke, with the same signification. The latter is connected with Wickel, from which MidHG. wieche was orig. at all events quite distinct; comp. Du. wiek, ‘lamp wick,’ AS. weoca (but also wecca, equiv. to E. wick). There are apparently no other cognates, unless we include Wocken.
Wiedehopf, m., ‘hoopoe’ (bird), from the equiv. MidHG. witehopfe, m., OHG. wituhopfo (-hoffo), m., lit. ‘forest hopper.’ OHG. witu, ‘timber,’ equiv. to AS. wudu, E. wood (comp. Kramtsvogel), is primit. allied to OIr. fid, ‘tree’ (or Gr. φιτρός, ‘block of wood, log’). Comp. hüpfen.
wieder, adv., identical with wider.
Wiege, f., ‘cradle,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wige, wiege, OHG. wiga (*wiega?), and, with a different gradation, waga, f.; corresponding to Du. wieg, OIc. vagga, ‘cradle’ (in AS. cradol, E. cradle). It is evidently connected with the root weg in bewegen, wackeln; yet some difficulties still remain; the relation of OHG. and MidHG. ie, i, a, is not quite clear (see schief and Stiege).
wiegen, vb., ‘to weigh, rock,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wëgen, OHG. wëgan, str. vb.; identical with wegen, vb., which see.
wichern, vb., ‘to neigh, shout noisily,’ an intensive form of the equiv. MidHG. wihen (wihenen, wihelen), OHG. wihôn for *wĭjôn, *hwĭjôn; formed from the same root as MidHG. weijen, OHG. weiôn (hweiôn), ‘to neigh’ (E. dial. to wicker). With the onomatopoetic root hwī̆ are connected, though with a different evolution of meaning, AS. hwînan, E. to whine, OIc. hvîna, ‘to rustle, drink (of beasts).’
Wiemen, m., ‘pole for hanging meat to be smoked above the hearth,’ ModHG. only, from LG.; comp. Du. wieme, ‘smoking-place.’
Wiese, f., ‘meadow, pasture-land,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wise, OHG. wisa, f. From the same root are derived with a different gradation OIc. veisa, ‘pool, pond with standing water,’ AS. wâs, ‘moisture,’ E. (dial.) woosy, ‘moist.’ LG. wische, ‘meadow,’ is based on LG. *wîska.
Wiesel, m. and n., ‘weasel,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wisel, wisele, OHG. wisala, f.; corresponding to Du. wezel, wezeltje, AS. wësle (weosulœ), E. weasel, Dan. väsel. It is frequently regarded as a derivative of Wiese, linking it with the place where the animal is usually found; others, on account of the keen scent of the animal, connect its name with Lat. virus, ‘poison’ (root wī̆s, see verwesen). Both derivations are very uncertain.
wild, adj., ‘wild, savage, fierce,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wilde, OHG. wildi, adj., corresponding to Goth. wilþeis, AS. wilde, E. wild, Du. wild, OSax. wildi; the corresponding OIc. villr usually signifies ‘going astray, confused.’ Fr. sauvage (from Lat. silvaticus), as a derivative of Lat. silva, has led to the assumption that the Teut. cognates are derived from Wald. This view is not probable, since wild seems to be used only of living beings (lit. ‘senseless, irrational’?); comp. the Scand. signification. Moreover, the subst. Wild, n. (‘wild animals, game, deer’), which cannot be derived from the adj., has a more original form; comp. MidHG. wilt (d), OHG. and AS. wild, n. (AS. also wildor, and later wildeór), ‘wild animals,’ from Teut. wilþiz, n. (hence pre-Teut. weltos-, n., ‘wild animals,’ but wéltjo-, ‘wild, savage’). Hence the connection with Wald is improbable, though a more certain origin has not yet been found.
Wildbret, n., ‘game, venison,’ from MidHG. wiltbrât, -brœte, n., ‘roasted (or boiled) game, game for roasting, venison’; see Braten. —
Wildfang, m., ‘deer-stalking,’ from MidHG. wiltvanc (g), m., ‘game preserving, preserves’; late MidHG. in the sense of ‘strange person’ (one entrapped, as it were, like game).
Wildschur, n., ‘wolfskin, fur pelisse,’ ModHG. only, from the equiv. Pol. vilczur.
Wille, m., ‘will, volition, design, wish,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wille, OHG. willo, m.; corresponding to Goth. wilja, OSax. ​willio, Du. wil, AS. willa, E. will; an abstract from wollen, which see. Allied to willig, adj., ‘willing, voluntary, ready,’ from MidHG. willec, OHG. willîg. —
willfahren, vb., ‘to accede to, grant, humour,’ from late MidHG. willevarn.
willkommen, adj., ‘welcome, acceptable’; subst. ‘welcome, reception’; from MidHG. willekumen. Corresponding to Du. welkom, AS. wilcumen, E. welcome, whence OFr. wilecome (a form of greeting) was borrowed.
Willkür, f., ‘option, discretion, caprice,’ from MidHG. willekür, f., ‘free choice, free will’; gee kiesen and Kur-.
wimmeln, vb., ‘to swarm, teem with,’ from late MidHG. (MidG.) wimmen, ‘to be astir, swarm.’ From the same root wem (wam) are derived the equiv. OHG. wimidôn and wimizzen (wamezzen). OHG. wiuman, ‘to swarm with,’ seems to be a reduplicated present of the same root wen (we-wm-).
wimmern, vb., ‘to whimper,’ from MidHG. wimmer, n., ‘whining,’ beside which occurs an equiv. MidHG. gewammer, with a different stage of gradation; recent imitative forms.
Wimpel, m. and f., ‘pennon, flag, streamer,’ from MidHG. wimpel, f. and m., ‘banner, flag, naval ensign, kerchief,’ OHG. wimpal, ‘frontlet, veil.’ Allied to Fr. guimpe (OFr. guimple), ‘wimple, stomacher,’ Du. wimpel, AS. winpel, wimpel, E. wimple. The exact relation of these apparently compound words to one another is obscure, since the LG. dialects have mp coinciding with HG. (we should have expected mf in HG.). Since it is not yet known in which group it was borrowed, nothing definite can be said concerning its early history. The evolution in meaning is similar to that of Fahne.
Wimper, f., ‘eyelash,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wintbrâ, wintbrâwe, OHG. wintbrâwa, f.; lit. ‘the winding eyebrow.’
Wind, m., ‘wind,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wint (d), OHG. wint, m.; corresponding to Goth. winds, AS. and E. wind (to which window from OIc. windauga, lit. ‘wind eye,’ is allied), Du. and OSax. wind, ‘wind.’ The common Teut. windo-, from Aryan wē̆ntó-, is identical in form with the equiv. Lat. ventus, and Sans. vãta, m., ‘wind’ (comp. also Gr. ἀήτης?); they are derivatives of the present partic. wē̆-nt- of the root wê, ‘to blow’ (see wehen); for the form of the word comp. Zahn. While this word extends beyond Teut. the terms for the chief directions of the wind are peculiar to that group (see Nord, Ost, &c.).
Winde, f., ‘windlass, winch,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winde, OHG. winta, f. —
Windel, f., ‘swaddling clothes, napkin,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winde, OHG. wintila, f.; lit. ‘means for winding about.’ —
winden, vb., ‘to wind, reel, twine,’ from MidHG. winden, OHG. wintan, str. vb., ‘to wind, turn, wrap’; comp. OSax. windan, ‘to turn’ (biwindan, ‘to wrap up’), Du. winden, AS. windan, E. to wind, Goth. windan. For the causative of this Teut. strong verbal root wind, ‘to turn, wrap,’ see wenden; other derivatives are wandern, wandeln. There are no certain cognates in non-Teut. Ital. ghindare, Fr. guinder, ‘to hoist,’ are borrowed from Teut.
Windhund, m., Windspiel, n., ‘greyhound, harrier,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wintbracke, wintspil; these compounds are tautological forms for MidHG. and OHG. wint, ‘greyhound.’ It is probably not connected with Wind, though the two words are instinctively associated. On account of the limited area of its diffusion, the prehistoric form cannot be discovered. Its kinship with Hund (Teut. hundo-, from hwundo-) is perhaps possible (Wind-, from hwindo-?); in that case the assonance with Wind must have caused the differentiation.
Windsbraut, f., ‘hurricane, tornado,’ from the equiv. MidHG. windes brût, OHG. wintes brût, f.; a remarkable formation, which is usually referred to mythological ideas. Yet OHG. and MidHG. brût in this compound might be cognate with MidHG. brûs, ModHG. Braus, if this were connected with pre-Teut. bhrût-to-.
Wingert, m., ‘vineyard,’ from MidHG. wī̆ngarte, OHG. wîngarto, m.; comp. also E. vineyard; lit. ‘wine-garden.’ For the shortening of MidHG. and OHG. î, comp. Winzer.
Wink, m., ‘sign, wink, nod, hint,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winc (k), OHG. winch, m.; allied to winken, vb., ‘to wink, beckon, nod,’ MidHG. winken, str. vb., OHG. winchan, wk. vb., ‘to move sidewards, totter, nod, wink’; corresponding to AS. wincian, E. to wink. If ‘to totter along, move with a sideward motion,’ is the primary meaning of the Teut. root wink, the Aryan root may be the same as that of weichen (wī̆g, wī̆k). Related to the following word.
​ Winkel, m., ‘angle, corner, nook,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winkel, OHG. winchil, m.; corresponding to Du. winkel, AS. wincel, ‘angle,’ to which Goth. waíhsta, m., ‘angle, corner,’ formed from a nasalised root, is allied. The primary meaning of the word is probably ‘bend.’ See Wink.
winken, see Wink.
winseln, vb., ‘to whine, whimper,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winseln, an intensive of MidHG. winsen, OHG. winsôn, winisôn, wk. vb., ‘to lament.’ Probably derived, like wimmern (wiehern), from the Teut. root hwī̆. Its connection with weinen is less probable.
Winter, m., ‘winter,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winter, OHG. wintar, m.; a common Teut. term, wanting in the other Aryan languages. Comp. Goth. wintrus, AS. and E. winter, OSax. wintar. The allied languages used a stem ghī̆m (ghiem); comp. Lat. hiems, Gr. χειμών, OSlov. and Zend zima, Sans. hêmanta (also in the Lex Salica ingimus, ‘anniculus’). These Aryan cognates, which may also signify ‘snow’ and ‘storm’ (comp. Gr. χεῖμα, ‘storm’), cannot, for phonological reasons, be allied to the Teut. group. They suggest, however, a connection between Winter and Wind; yet the Teut. bases wintru- and windo- do not agree phonologically. Perhaps those are right who regard Winter as the ‘white period,’ referring it to OGall. vindo-, ‘white’ as in Vindo-bona, Vindo-magus, Vindo-nissa); comp. OIr. find, ‘white.’ In the OTeut. languages Winter also signifies ‘year,’ which is still retained in the ModHG. dial. Einwinter, ‘yearling kid, steer’ (AS. œ̂netre, ‘of one year’).
Winzer, m., ‘vintager, vine-dresser,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wī̆nzürl, wī̆nzürle, OHG. wînzuril (wînzurnil), m. It can hardly have been borrowed from Lat. vînitor, which must have produced the OHG. form *wînizâri (MidHG. wī̆nzœre, wī̆nzer). OHG. wînzuril is more probably, however, a compound slightly influenced by the Lat. term; its second component is derived from OHG. zëran, ‘to tear or pluck off.’ Comp. Wein, and for the accented vowel Wingert.
winzig, adj., ‘tiny, diminutive, petty,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. winzic (g). A recent diminutive derivative of wenig (comp. einzig from einig, ein); yet note Swab. and Alem. wunzig.
Wipfel, m., ‘top (of a tree), summit,’ from MidHG. wipfel (wiffel), OHG. wipfil (wiffil), m., ‘top of a tree’; lit. perhaps ‘that which rocks, swing,’ for the word is based on the Teut. root wip, ‘to tremble, move, rock’ (see Wippe).
Wippe, f., ‘critical point, see-saw, seat (of a swing), crane,’ ModHG. only, borrowed from LG.; comp. Du. wippen, ‘to let fly, jerk, rock.’ The genuine HG. form is OHG. and MidHG. wipf, ‘swing, quick movement’; in MidHG. also wîfen, str. vb., ‘to swing’ (see weifen). The Teut. root wī̆p, ‘to move with a rocking motion,’ contained in these cognates (and in Wipfel), is based on pre-Teut. wī̆b, whence also Lat. vibrare, ‘to vibrate’; allied to the earlier Aryan variant wī̆p, in Sans. vip, ‘to tremble,’ OHG. weibôn, ‘to totter.’
wir, pron., ‘we,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wir; corresponding to Goth. weis, OSax. wî, Du. wij, AS. wê, E. we. The common Teut. wîz, with a secondary nomin. suffix s, is based on Aryan wei, whence Sans. vayám, ‘we.’ The declension of wir, which is supplemented by uns, belongs to grammar.
Wirbel, m., ‘whirl, vortex, whirlpool, bustle, crown (of the head),’ from MidHG. wirbel, m., ‘vortex, crown (of the head), whirl,’ OHG. wirbil, wirfil, m., ‘whirlwind’; comp. OIc. hvirfell, ‘vortex, E. whirl. Derivatives of the Teut. root hwerb (hwerf), ‘to turn’ (see werben). With regard to Ropfwirbel note the evolution of meaning in Scheitel.
wirken, vb., ‘to work, effect, produce,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wirken (würken), OHG. wirken (wurchen). This verb, properly strong, is common to Teut. in the forms wirkjan, wurkjan; comp. Goth. waúrkjan, AS. wyrčęan, also OSax. wirkian, Du. werken. The Teut. verbal root werk, work, to which ModHG. Werk belongs, is based on an old Aryan root werg (worg), which occurs in several dialects. With Gr. ἔργον, ‘work,’ are connected ῥέζω (for *ϝρεγιω), ‘to do, perform,’ ὄργανον, ‘instrument,’ ὄργιον, ‘sacred rite’; so too the Zend root vṛz, verez, ‘to work, toil.’ The meanings, ‘to prepare by sewing, embroidering, weaving,’ incipient in MidHG., have been preserved in ModHG. There is also in Ger. a compound derivative OHG. scuoh-wurhto, MidHG. schuochwürte, ‘shoemaker,’ whence ModHG. proper names such as Schubert, Schuchardt.
wirr, adj., ‘confused, entangled,’ a ModHG. derivative of wirren, ‘to twist, entangle, confuse’ (mostly now verwirren). ​This properly str. vb. (as the old ModHG. partic. verworren shows) is based on MidHG. wërren (verwërren), OHG. wërran (firwërran), str. vbs., ‘to entangle, confuse.’ On the corresponding subst. OHG. wërra, ‘confusion, dispute,’ are based Ital. guerra, Fr. guerre, ‘war.’ It is uncertain whether OHG. and OSax. wërran, str. vb., ‘to bring into confusion,’ is based on an earlier *wersan, and whether Wurst is connected with it. A pre-Teut. root wers appears in OSlov. vrěšti, ‘to thresh,’ and probably also in Lat. verro, ‘to sweep.’ E. worse (Goth. waírsiza; see the following word) is usually referred to the Teut. root wers, ‘to confuse.’
wirsch, adj., ‘cross, angry,’ ModHG. only, an imitation of MidHG. unwirsch (from unwirdesch, unwürdesch). The signification cannot be explained from the MidHG. compar. wirs (equiv. to E. worse, Goth. waírsis).
Wirsching, Wirsing, m., ‘borecole,’ first recorded in ModHG.; the word seems, however, to have been borrowed at an earlier period from Upper Italy, as is also indicated by the Fr. term, chou de Milan ou de Savoie. It is based on Lombard. versa (comp. Ital. verzotto), ‘cabbage, borecole,’ which is usually referred to Lat. viridia, ‘vegetables.’ Kohl and Kappes were borrowed at a much earlier period.
Wirt, m., ‘host, landlord,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wirt, m., ‘husband, head of the house, sovereign of a country, host, guest, landlord (of an inn, &c.)’; comp. OSax. wërd, ‘husband, master of the house,’ Du. waard, Goth. waírdus, ‘host.’ No connection with Lat. vir, ‘man’ (for Teut. wër, see Werwolf, Welt, and Wergeld), is possible, and it can hardly be related to warten.
Wirtel, m., ‘spindle ring,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wirtel, m., which is derived from the Aryan root wert, ‘to turn’ (see werden).
Wisch, m., ‘rag, clout, wisp,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wisch, OHG. wisc, m.. to which MidHG. and ModHG. wischen, OHG. wisken, is allied. Comp. OIc. visk, ‘bundle,’ and also E. wisp with a labial instead of a guttural. The base wisku, wisq, wisp, may e connected with Lat. virga (from wízgâ?).
Wispel, m., ‘twenty-four bushels,’ ModHG. only, a LG. word. The base wichschepel, recorded in the 12th cent., points to a connection with LG. schepel, ‘bushel.’
wispeln, vb., ‘to whisper,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wispeln, OHG. wispalôn, hwispalôn. Also in ModHG. only, wispern (properly perhaps a LG. word), corresponding to AS. hwisprian, E. to whisper. These intensive forms seem to be based on an onomat. root hwī̆s (hais), to which also heiser is usually referred.
wissen, vb., ‘to know, beware of,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wiȥȥen, OHG. wiȥȥan; a common Teut., and more remotely a primit. Aryan pret. present. Comp. Goth. wait, ‘I know,’ AS. wât, E. wot, OSax. wêt, OHG. and MidHG. weiȥ. Based on pre-Teut. woid, wid, in Sans. vêda, ‘I know,’ Gr. οἶδα, OSlov. vĕděti, ‘to know.’ This primit. unreduplicated perfect is based on a root wid, which in the Aryan languages means lit. ‘to find,’ then ‘to see, recognise’; comp. Sans. vid, ‘to find,’ Gr. ἰδεῖν, Lat. videre, ‘to see,’ Goth. witan, ‘to observe.’ In Ger. comp. gewiß, verweisen, weissagen, Witz.
wittern, vb., ‘to scent, spy out,’ from MidHG. witeren, ‘to scent something’; comp. the equiv. OIc. viðra; connected with Wind. “E. to wind, and Fr. vent, ‘scent,’ show that it was possible for the sportsman's phrase to attain this meaning (which is lit. ‘to track by the aid of scent’).”
Wittib (with a normal b), Witwe, f., ‘widow,’ from the equiv. MidHG. witewe, witwe, OHG. wituwa (witawa), f.; common to Teut. and Aryan. Comp. Goth. widuwô, OSax. widowa, Du. weduwe, AS. wuduwe, widewe, E. widow. Corresponding to Ir. fedb, Lat. vidua, San. vidhávâ, OSlov. vĭdova. The primit. Aryan form widhéwâ (widhowâ), f., ‘widow,’ implied in these words seems to be an old formation from an Aryan root widh, Sans. root vidh, ‘to become empty, be faulty’; comp. Gr. ἠίθεος, ‘single, unmarried.’ The designations for Witwer, ‘widower,’ are recent derivatives of the feminine form (comp. Schwieger); comp. OHG. wituwo, MidHG. witwœre, from which a new fem. could be ultimately formed (MidHG. witwerinne); comp. ModHG. Witmann (hence Witfrau). ModHG. Waise, ‘orphan,’ is perhaps connected with the same Aryan root widh.
Wittum, n., ‘widow's jointure,’ the proper term is probably Widetum, n. The first component is MidHG. widen, wideme, m. and f., ‘bridal gift, present from the bridegroom to the bride,’ then also ‘endowment of a church,’ OHG. widamo, ‘wedding gift of the bridegroom to the bride.’ The corresponding AS. weotuma, ‘money paid for the bride,’ leads to kinship with Gr. ​ξεδνα, ἕδνον, ‘bridal presents made by the bridegroom,’ to which perhaps OSlov. vedą (vesti) and the equiv. OIr. fedaim, ‘to marry,’ are allied. There is, in any case, no connection between Wittum and the preceding word; comp. also widmen.
Witwe, see Wittib.
Witz, m., ‘wit, sense, understanding, repartee,’ from MidHG. witze, OHG. wizzî, f., ‘knowing, understanding, prudence, wisdom’; an abstract of wissen (corresponding to AS. and E. wit). Allied to witzig, adj., ‘witty, clever, brilliant,’ from MidHG. witzec (g), OHG. wizzîg, ‘intelligent, prudent.’
wo, adv., ‘where,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wâ for older wâr, ‘where’; comp. OSax. hwâr, Du. waar, AS. hwœ̂r, E. where, and the equiv. Goth. hwar. A local adv. from the old interr. pron. hwa-, from Aryan ko-; comp. Sans. kárki, ‘when.’ See wer and warum.
Woche, f., ‘week,’ from the equiv. MidHG. woche, OHG. wohha, usually with an earlier vowel wëhha, f., a common Teut. term based on a primary form, wikôn-. Comp. Goth. wikô, OSax. wika, Du. week, AS. wucu, wicu, E. week, and the equiv. OIc. vika, f. The assumption that Lat. vices, ‘change,’ was adopted by the Teutons in the sense of ‘week’ is untenable, for were the notion ‘week’ borrowed from the Romans, it would have assumed a form corresponding to Ital. settimana, Fr. semaine (OIr. sechtman), ‘week.’ The Teut. origin of the word is supported by the fact that it is borrowed by Finn. (as wiika), as well as by wîce, s., ‘alternate service,’ the AS. variant of wĭcu, which makes it probable that Woche meant ‘change’ (comp. Wechsel). The assumption of a loan-word is, however, most strongly opposed by the genuine Teut. names of the days of the week, which prove the existence of a developed chronology in the pre-historic period.
Wocken, m., ‘distaff,’ ModHG. only, from LG.; probably cognate with Wieche.
Woge, f. (with MidG. ô for â, as in Odem, Schlot, Rot, &c.), ‘wave, billow,’ from MidHG. wâc (g), OHG. wâg, n., ‘water in commotion, flood, billow, stream, river, sea’; comp. OSax. wâg, AS. wœ̂g, Goth. wégs, ‘billow, flood.’ From OHG. is derived Fr. vague. Teut. wêgo-, wêgi-, from pre-Teut. wêgho-, wêghi-, is connected with the Aryan root wē̆gh, ‘to move’; hence Woge, lit. ‘motion, that which is moved.’
wohl, adv., ‘well, probably,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wol, OHG. wola (earlier wëla), adv. from gut; corresponding to OSax. wē̆l, Du. wel, AS. wē̆l, E. well, Goth. waila. The primary meaning of this common Teut. adv. is ‘as one could wish,’ because it is derived from the root of wollen. Aryan welo-, ‘wish, desire,’ is also indicated by Sans. vára, m. and n., ‘wish, desire,’ to which váram ã (or práti váram), ‘as one could wish, as one likes,’ is allied.
wohlfeil, adj., ‘cheap,’ from MidHG. wol veile, wolveil, ‘easily purchasable’; comp. feil. —
wohlgeboren, adj., ‘Mr.,’ from MidHG. wolgeborn (also hôchgeborn), ‘distinguished.’ —
Wohlthat, f., ‘benefit, kindness, good deed,’ from the equiv. MidHG. woltât, OHG. wolatât.
wohnen, vb., ‘to dwell,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wonen, OHG. wonên, wk. vb.; corresponding to OSax. wunôn, Du. wonen, AS. wunian, ‘to dwell, be, remain.’ Beside these West Teut. cognates there are those of gewohnt; the Aryan root wen, on which they are based, probably meant ‘to please,’ which is suggested by Goth. wunan, OIc. una, ‘to rejoice’; the ‘wonted thing’ is ‘that with which one is pleased’; wohnen, lit. ‘to find pleasure anywhere.’ From the same Aryan root wen are derived OSax. and OHG. wini (MidHG. wine), ‘friend,’ Lat. Venus, ‘goddess of love,’ the Sans. root van, ‘to be fond of, love,’ Sans. vánas, ‘delight.’ Comp. also Wonne and Wunsch.
wölben, vb., ‘to vault, arch,’ from MidHG. and OHG. węlben (from *walbian, hwalbjan), wk. vb., ‘to assume a curved shape, vault.’ Comp. OSax. bihwęlbian, ‘to arch over, cover,’ Du. welven, OIc. hvelfa, ‘to arch’; allied to AS. hwealf, ‘arched,’ and Goth. hwilftri, ‘coffin’ (lit. ‘arch’). The Teut. verbal root hwelb, hwelf, from Aryan qelp (qelq?) is related to Gr. κόλπος, ‘bosom’ (lit. ‘arch’); so too Sans. kûrcá, Lat. culcita, ‘pillow’?.
Wolf, m., ‘wolf,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wolf, m.; common to Teut. and also to Aryan; comp. Goth. wulfs, OSax. wulf, Du. wolf, AS. wulf, E. wolf. Teut. wulfo-, from wulpo-, is based on Aryan wlqo-, wlko-; comp. Sans. vṛ́ka, OSlov. vlûkŭ. Lith. vilkas, Gr. λύκος, Lat. lupus, ‘wolf.’ On account of this apparent similarity between Wolf and the equiv. words of the other Aryan languages, Lat. vulpes, ‘fox,’ cannot be allied. The Aryan term wlko- ​has been rightly compared with the Aryan root welk, ‘to march,’ preserved in Gr. ἕλκω, OSlov. vlęką, so that Wolf meant perhaps ‘robber.’ The word was often used in Teut. to form names of persons; comp. Wolfram, under Rabe; Rudolf, from Ruodolf (lit. ‘famous wolf,’ see Ruhm), Adolf, from Adalolf (lit. ‘noble wolf, see Adel).
Wolke, f., ‘cloud,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wolken, OHG. wolchan, m.; also in MidHG. (Alem., MidG.) wolke, OHG. wolcha, f., ‘cloud.’ Corresponding to OSax. wolcan, n., Du. wolk, AS. wolcen, ‘cloud’ (to which E. welkin is allied). Under welk a pre-Teut. root welg, ‘moist,’ is assumed, with which the term wolkôn (wolken-), n., ‘cloud’ (lit. ‘the moist thing’), peculiar to West Teut., is connected.
Wolle, f., ‘wool, down,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wolle, OHG. wolla, f.; corresponding to Goth. wulla, AS. wull, E. wool, Du. wol. Teut. wullô-, from pre-Teut. wlná (for ll from ln see Welle and voll), corresponding the Aryan languages to Sans. ûrṇâ, OSlov. vlŭna, Lith. vílna, ‘wool’; in Lat. villus, vellus. Sans. ũrṇâ is connected with a root vṛ, ‘to cover, wrap’ (pres. ûrṇõmi); hence Welle (Aryan wlnâ) meant lit. ‘that which covers.’ Gr. εἰρος, ἔριον, ‘wool,’ cannot be related to the common Aryan cognates (root wel).
wollen, vb., ‘to wish, be willing, have a mind to, intend,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wollen (węllen), OHG. wellan (węllan); an anomalous vb.; the further details belong to grammar. Comp. OSax. węllian, willian, Du. willen, AS. willan, E. to will, Goth. wiljan. The connection between the Teut. root wel, ‘to wish,’ with which Wahl and wohl are also connected, and the equiv. Lat. velle is apparent; comp. also Sans. vṛ (var), ‘to choose, prefer,’ OSlov. voliti, ‘to be willing.’ Gr. βούλομαι ‘to be willing,’ is, on the other hand, not allied; it is more probably related to Gr. ἐθέλω, θέλω, ‘to wish,’ which, like Sans. hary, ‘to desire,’ points to an Aryan ghel (ghwel), which would produce in Teut. likewise a root wël, ‘to be willing.’
Wollust, f., ‘delight, voluptuousness,’ from MidHG. wol-lust, m. and f., ‘gratification, joy, pleasure, enjoyment, merry life, voluptuousness.’
Wonne, f., ‘rapture, ecstasy, bliss,’ from MidHG. wunne (wünne), OHG. wunna (wunni), f., ‘joy, pleasure, the most beautiful and best’; corresponding to OSax. wunnia, ‘joy,’ AS. wynn. Goth. *wunni (gen. *wunnjôs) was probably a verbal abstract of Goth. wunan, ‘to rejoice,’ the root of which (Aryan wen, ‘to be pleased’) appears in wohnen. OHG. wunnea (MidHG. wünne), ‘pasture-land,’ has been considered as identical with Wonne; yet that word, like Goth. winja, ‘pasture, fodder,’ has its own early history. It has been preserved in Wonnemonat, ‘month of May,’ MidHG. wunnemânôt (winnemânôt), on. wunni-, winni-, mânôd, lit. ‘pasture month.’
worfeln, vb., ‘to fan, winnow,’ ModHG. only; intensive of werfen.
worgen, see würgen.
Wort, n., ‘word, term, expression,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wort, m.; corresponding to Goth. waúrd, OSax., AS., and E. word, Du. woord. The common Teut. wordo, ‘word,’ based on Aryan wṛdho-, is equiv. to Lat. verbum (Lat. b for Aryan dh, as in Bart, rot), Pruss. wirds, ‘word,’ and Lith. vardas, ‘name.’ Wort has with lees reason been regarded as an old partic. wr-tó- (for the suffix comp. satt and traut), and derived from the root wer (wrê), appearing in Gr. ῥήτωρ, ‘orator,’ ῥήτρα, ‘saying,’ ἐρέω, ‘to ask,’ and with which OIr. breth, ‘sentence,’ based on Aryan wṛto-, is connected.
Wrack, n., ‘wreck, refuse,’ ModHG. only, from LG.; comp. Du. wrak, E. wreck. Based on Du. wrak, ‘useless, damaged,’ and wraken, ‘to cast out.’
Wucher, m., ‘usury, interest,’ from MidHG. wuocher, OHG. wuohhar, m. and n., ‘produce, fruit, gain, profit’; corresponding to Goth. wôkrs, ‘usury.’ The OHG. and MidHG. sense ‘descendants’ points to a Teut. root wak, ‘to arise, bear,’ which is identical with the Aryan root wō̆g, ‘to be astir, successful, energetic’ (see wecken); comp. Sans. vãja, m., ‘power, strength, nourishment, prosperity,’ and AS. onwœcnan, ‘to be born.’ In meaning the Aryan root aug, ‘to increase,’ cognate with Aryan wog, is more closely connected; comp. Lat. augere, Goth. aukan (Lith. augti, ‘to grow’).
Wuchs, m., ‘growth, development’; ModHG. only, a graded form, from wachsen.
Wucht, f., ‘weight, burden,’ ModHG. only, from LG. wucht, a variant of Gewicht.
wühlen, vb., ‘to root, grub up, burrow, rummage, stir up,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wüelen, OHG. wuolen (from *wôljan); ​corresponding to Du. woelen. With this weak verbal root wôl is connected the Teut. cognate walo- (see Wahlstatt), to which OHG. and MidHG. wuol and AS. wôl, ‘defeat, ruin,’ are allied.
Wulst, f., ‘swelling, roll, pad,’ from the equiv. MidHG. (very rare) wulst, OHG. (rare) wulsta, f. (also signifying the ‘turned up lip’). A derivative of OHG. wëllan, MidHG. wëllen, str. vb., ‘to make round, roll,’ to which Welle is allied.
wund, adj., ‘galled, chased, wounded,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wunt (d), OHG. wunt; corresponding to OSax. and AS. wund, Du. gewond, and Goth. wunds; properly an old partic. with the Aryan suffix to-. There is also an old abstract of the same root with the Aryan suffix -tâ (see Schande?), ModHG. Wunde, ‘wound,’ from MidHG. wunde, OHG. wunta, f., to which OSax. wunda, Du. wunde, AS. wund, E. wound, correspond. The root on which the word is based would assume the form wen in Teut.; comp. Goth. win-nan, ‘to suffer, feel pain,’ to which Gr. ὠτειλή (from *ό-ϝατειλη), ‘wound,’ is usually referred.
Wunder, n., ‘wonder, marvel, miracle,’ from MidHG. wunter, OHG. wuntar, n., ‘astonishment, object of astonishment, wonder, marvel’ (the signification ‘astonishment’ is preserved in the expression Wunder nehmen, ‘to be surprised,’ which existed in MidHG.). Comp. OSax. wundar, E. and Du. wonder. Teut. wundro- seems, like Gr. ἀθρέω (for *ϝαθρέω?), ‘to gaze at, observe, consider,’ to point to an Aryan root wendh, ‘to gaze at, stare at.’
Wunsch, m., ‘wish, desire,’ from MidHG. wunsch, OHG. wunsc, m., ‘wish, desire’ (MidHG. also ‘capacity for doing something extraordinary’); comp. Du. wensch, OIc. ósk (for Goth. *wunska), ‘wish.’ Hence the derivative wünschen, ‘to wish, desire, long for,’ MidHG. wünschen, OHG. wunsken, ‘to wish’; comp. Du. wenschen, AS. wŷsčęan, E. to wish. Sans. vâñchâ (for *vânskâ), ‘wish’ (with the root vâñch, ‘to wish’), is regarded as equiv. to Teut. wunskó, ‘wish.’ The skâ derivative is based on the root wen, ‘to be pleased,’ which appears in wohnen.
Würde, f., ‘dignity,’ from MidHG. wirde, f., ‘dignity, honour, respect,’ OHG. wirdi, f.; an abstract from Wert. —
würdig, adj., ‘worthy, estimable,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wirdec, OHG. wirdîg.
Wurf, m., ‘throw, cast, projection,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wurf; allied to werfen. — With this Würfel, m., ‘die, cube,’ from MidHG. würfel, OHG. wurfil, m., is connected; comp. the equiv. OIc. verpell.
würgen, vb., ‘to choke, strangle, throttle,’ from the equiv. MidHG. würgen (MidG. worgen), wk. vb., OHG. wurgen (from *wurgjan). Beside this wk. vb. there existed a strong verbal root, Teut. werg (deduced from the equiv. MidHG. erwërgen), from Aryan wergh, from which Lith. verszti (verżu), ‘to lace together, press firmly,’ and OSlov. vrŭzą, ‘to chain, bind,’ are derived. The word has also been compared with the Aryan root wrengh (see ringen).
Wurm, m., ‘worm, grub,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wurm, ‘worm, insect, serpent, dragon’; comp. Goth. waûrms, ‘serpent,’ OSax. wurm, ‘serpent,’ Du. and E. worm. The meaning of the common Teut. word varies between ‘worm’ and ‘serpent’ (comp. Lindwurm). The former occurs in the primit. allied Lat. vermis, ‘worm,’ with which Gr. ῥόμος (ῥόμοξ for ϝρομο-), ‘wood-worm,’ is related by gradation. Sans. kṛmi, ‘worm,’ Lith. kirmėlě and OIr. cruim (OSlov črŭvĭ), ‘worm,’ are not connected with this word; nor is Gr. ἕλμις, ‘maw-worm,’ related to it. —
wurmen, vb., ‘to become worm-eaten, pry, poke into,’ ModHG. only; comp. Du. wurmen, ‘to torment oneself, languish, work hard’; probably allied to Wurm.
Wurst, f., ‘sausage, pudding, roll, pad,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wurst (MidG. and Du. worst), f. This specifically G. word is rightly regarded as a derivative of the Aryan root wert, ‘to turn, wind’ (see werden and Wirtel); hence Wurst (base wrtti, wrtsti), lit. ‘turning.’
Wurz, f., ‘root, herb,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wurz, f., ‘herb, plant’ (MidHG. also ‘root’); comp. OSax. wurt, ‘herb, flower,’ AS. wyrt, E. wort, Goth. waúrts, ‘root.’ An Aryan root wṛd, wrā̆d, is indicated by Gr. ῥάδαμνος, ‘tendril, shoot’ (Gr. ῥίζα from ϝριδjα), and Lat. râdix (Gr. ῥάδιξ), with which again OIc. rôt (whence the equiv. E. root) for *wrôt- is closely connected; comp. also Nüssel. An allied Teut. root urt (from Aryan wrd) appears in Goth. *aurti-, ‘herb,’ and OHG. orzôn, ‘to plant.’ — To this is allied Würze, f., ‘spice, seasoning, wort (brewing),’ from MidHG. würze, f., ‘spice plant’; corresponding to E. wort and OSax. wurtia, ‘spice.’ —
​ Wurzel, f., ‘root,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wurzel, OHG. wurzala, f.; corresponding to Du. wortel. The final l is not, as in Eichel, a diminut. suffix; OHG. wurzala is rather, according to the evidence of the equiv. AS. wyrtwalu, a compound, properly wurz-walu. In OHG. the medial w was lost, as in Bürger (OHG. burgârâ), equiv. to AS. burgware (comp. further OHG. eihhorn with âcweorn). Thus too Morchel, OHG. morhala, represents *morh-walu, ModHG. Geisel, OHG. geisala, represents *geis-walu. The second component is Goth. walus, ‘staff,’ AS. walu, ‘weal, knot’; hence AS. wyrtwalu and OHG. wurzala meant lit. ‘herb stick’ (from Wurz).
Wust, m., ‘chaos, trash, filth,’ from MidHG. (rare) wuost, m., ‘devastation, chaos, refuse.’ —
wüst, adj., ‘desert, waste, confused, disorderly,’ from MidHG. wüeste, OHG. wuosti, ‘desolate, uncultivated, empty’; corresponding to OSax. wôsti, Du. woest, AS. wêste, ‘waste.’ —
Wüste, f., ‘desert, wilderness,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wüeste, OHG. wuostî (wuostinna), f.; comp. OSax. wôstinnia, AS. wêsten, ‘wilderness.’ To these West Teut. cognates, which point to a pre-Teut. adj. wâstu, OIr. fás, and Lat. vâstus, ‘waste,’ are primit. allied. The West Teut. adj. cannot be borrowed from Lat. (only MidHG. waste, ‘desert,’ is probably thus obtained).
Wut, f., ‘rage, fury, madness,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wuot, f.; in OHG. also wuot, AS. wôd, E. wood, adj., ‘furious, mad,’ Goth. wôds, ‘possessed, lunatic.’ There exist, besides these cognates, AS. wôð, ‘voice, song,’ OIc. óðr, ‘poetry, song.’ The connection between the meanings is found in the primit. allied Lat. vátes, ‘inspired singer’ (OIr. fáith, ‘poet’); comp. the Sans. root vat, ‘to animate spiritually.’ From the same is prob. derived the name of the OTeut. god Wôdan (AS. Wôden, *Wêden, OSax. Wôdan, OIc. Oðenn, OHG. Wuotan), whose name is preserved in Du. Woensdag, E. Wednesday. The orig. mythological idea of das wütende Heer, ‘the spectral host,’ is based on MidHG. (and OHG.) Wuotanes her, ‘Odin’s host.’