Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wihtiz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwix.tiz/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *wék⁽ʷ⁾tis (“utterance^?; object, thing”), most likely from *wekʷ- (“to speak”). Cognate with Proto-Slavic *veťь.

Kroonen alternatively compares Proto-Celtic *wextā (“time, course, run”) and *weganą (“to carry, to move”) (from Proto-Indo-European *wéǵʰeti), suggesting *wéǵʰtis, which would make this word a doublet of *wihtiz (“weight”, etymology 2). He also appears to tentatively assume devoicing of the root coda before *-t- in Slavic, but it may need to be considered unrelated in this interpretation. A less supported connection is to Proto-Indo-European *weḱ- (“to choose, wish”).

Noun

*wihtiz f

1. essence, being
3. thing, creature

Inflection

Declension of *wihtiz (i-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	*wihtiz	*wihtīz
vocative	*wihti	*wihtīz
accusative	*wihtį	*wihtinz
genitive	*wihtīz	*wihtijǫ̂
dative	*wihtī	*wihtimaz
instrumental	*wihtī	*wihtimiz

Related terms

• *wihtą

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *wihti
  • Old English: wiht
    • Middle English: wight, wiȝt
      • English: wight, whit
      • Scots: wicht, wycht
  • Old Frisian: *wet (in compounds)
    • Saterland Frisian: nit
  • Old Saxon: wiht
    • Middle Low German: wicht, wucht
      • German Low German: Wicht
      • Dutch Low Saxon: wicht
        • Westphalian:

          Ravensbergisch-Lippisch: Wicht

          Sauerländisch: Weyht

          Westmünsterländisch: Wicht

  • Old Dutch: wiht
    • Middle Dutch: wicht
      • Dutch: wicht
        • Afrikaans: wig
  • Old High German: wiht
    • Middle High German: wicht
      • German: Wicht
• Old Norse: véttr, vétr, vættr, vætr, vítr
  • Icelandic: vættur
  • Faroese: vættur, veittur
  • Norwegian: vette, vætte, vett, vitt
  • Old Swedish: vætter, vǣter
    • Swedish: vätte
  • Danish: vætte
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (waihts)

Etymology 2

From *weganą (“to weight”) +‎ *-þiz.

Noun

*wihtiz f

2. weight

Inflection

Declension of *wihtiz (i-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	*wihtiz	*wihtīz
vocative	*wihti	*wihtīz
accusative	*wihtį	*wihtinz
genitive	*wihtīz	*wihtijǫ̂
dative	*wihtī	*wihtimaz
instrumental	*wihtī	*wihtimiz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *wihti
  • Old English: wihte
  • Old English: wiht
    • Middle English: weght, weghte, weighte, weihte, weit, wighte
      • English: weight
      • Scots: wecht, weicht
      • Yola: waaight
  • Old Frisian: wicht, wichte
    • North Frisian: wecht
    • Saterland Frisian: Wächte
  • Old Saxon: *wiht, *wihti
    • Middle Low German: wicht, wichte
      • Low German: Wicht, Wucht
        • → German: Wucht
      • Plautdietsch: Wicht
      • → Danish: vægt
        • Norwegian: vekt
      • → German: Wicht
      • → Swedish: vikt
  • Old Dutch: *wiht
    • Middle Dutch: wicht, wichte
      • Dutch: wicht
  • Old High German: *wihti
    • Middle High German: wiht
• Old Norse: vætt, vétt
  • → Middle English: waght
    • Scots: wacht