# wegen
## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈʋeːɣə(n)/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -eːɣən

### Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch wēgen, from Old Dutch *wegan, from Proto-West Germanic *wegan, from Proto-Germanic *weganą, from Proto-Indo-European *wéǵʰeti.

#### Verb

wegen
* (transitive) to weigh (to determine the weight or be of a specified weight)
    Synonym: wikken
    Hoeveel weeg je?How much do you weigh?
    Het schip was gebouwd voor een bemanning van 435 personen en woog 1200 ton.The ship was built for a crew of 435 people and weighed 1200 tons.
* (transitive) to weight (to calibrate, to assign weight to individual statistics)
* (transitive) to weigh (to evaluate, to assign value or relative importance to)

##### Derived terms

* afwegen
* bewegen
* verwegen
* weegschaal
* weger
* weging

##### Related terms

* gewicht
* wikken

##### Descendants

* Afrikaans: weeg
* Berbice Creole Dutch: wegi
* → Saramaccan: wegi
* → Sranan Tongo: wegi
** → Caribbean Javanese: wégi

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Noun

wegen
* plural of weg

## German
### Etymology

Shortened version of von + [genitive object] + wegen, from Middle High German von + [genitive object] + wegen, with wegen being the dative plural of wec, modern-day Weg, but with a meaning similar to Ort, Stelle, Seite.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈveːɡən/, /ˈveːɡŋ̩/
* Audio:(file)
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: we‧gen

### Preposition

wegen [with genitive (standard) or dative (informal, or standardly in certain circumstances)]
* for, because of
    Wegen des schlechten Wetters werden wir zu Hause bleiben.Because of the bad weather, we will stay at home.

#### Usage notes

1.) While use with the dative is now considered acceptable in informal use, it is still considered erroneous by conservative or linguistically aware speakers (except in certain cases, see below). In the standard language, wegen is usually followed by the original genitive:
   * Die Autobahn wurde wegen eines Unfalls gesperrt. ― The autobahn was closed because of an accident.
    Even in formal language, the dative case is normally used if the genitive would be indistinguishable from the nominative in form, which is the case with plural nouns not preceded by an article, determiner, or adjective:
   * Die Autobahn wurde wegen Unfällen gesperrt. ― The autobahn was closed because of accidents.
    The dative case is also used with pronouns whose genitive form is not heard as often, and if a possessive genitive is preceding the referent of the preposition.
   * Er rief wegen etwas Wichtigem an. ― He called because of something important.
   * Er rief wegen Peters neuem Auto an. ― He called because of Peter's new car. (→ wegen Peters neuen Autos is possible, but unusual)
    Masculine and neuter singular nouns not preceded by an article, determiner, or adjective may take inflectional -(e)s, although this is now quite formal. Personal names never take an ending.
   * Er war wegen Fieber(s) verhindert. ― He was unavailable because of a fever.
   * Sie ist wegen Anton nach Köln gezogen. ― She moved to Cologne because of Anton.
    Personal pronouns and some other pronouns have special contracted forms with wegen:
   * meinetwegen, deinetwegen, seinetwegen, ihretwegen, unseretwegen, euretwegen
   * dessentwegen, derentwegen, wessentwegen, weßwegen (dated)
2.) In the vernacular, and occasionally in writing, it is common to use the dative case after wegen at all times, whereby all the above peculiarities cease to apply. To some, the genitive may even sound pretentious in a private conversation. This is long-standing practice in the German dialects, which have mostly abolished the genitive per se.
   * Die Autobahn wurde wegen einem Unfall gesperrt. ― The autobahn was closed because of an accident.
3.) In very formal usage, wegen may be used as a postposition (always with genitive).
   * Die Autobahn wurde eines Unfalls wegen gesperrt. ― The autobahn was closed because of an accident.

#### Related terms

* deswegen
* von wegen!
* Weg
* weswegen

### Further reading

* “wegen” in Duden online
* “wegen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
* “wegen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
* “wegen” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

## Middle Dutch
### Etymology

From Old Dutch *wegan, from Proto-Germanic *weganą, from Proto-Indo-European *wéǵʰeti.

### Verb

wēgen
* to weigh, to have a certain weight
* to weigh, to determine the weight of
* to weigh, to consider

#### Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

#### Derived terms

* wicken
** Dutch: wikken

#### Descendants

* Dutch: wegen (see there for further descendants)
* Limburgish: waege

### Further reading

* “weghen (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
* Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “wegen (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

## Old Dutch
### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *waigijaną.

### Verb

wēgen
* to torment, to treat badly

#### Further reading

* “wēgen”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

## Old English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈwe.ɡen/, [ˈwe.ɣen]
* IPA: /ˈwe.jen/

### Verb

wegen
* plural present subjunctive of wegan

### Participle

weġen
* past participle of wegan

## West Frisian
### Noun

wegen
* plural of wei