An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Weide

by Friedrich Kluge

Weide (1.), feminine, ‘willow,’ from the equivalent Middle High German wîde, Old High German wîda, feminine; compare Old Icelandic vîðer, Anglo-Saxon wîðig, English withy (isolated Middle German and Low German dialects seem to lengthen the old ĭ in the accented syllable). Prehistoric wī̆t-, ‘willow,’ is indicated also by the equivalent Greek ἱτέα and Lit. żilwytis, ‘grey willow.’ An Aryan root wī̆, ‘pliant, capable of being twisted,’ has been assumed, and the word compared also with Latin vîtis, ‘vine, tendril,’ Old Slovenian viti (Lithuanian výti), ‘to turn, plait.’

Weide (2.), feminine, ‘pasture, pasture-land, from Middle High German weide, Old High German weida, feminine, ‘fodder, food, place for grazing, the search for food and fodder (chase, fishing).’ Allied to Old Icelandic veiðr, ‘chase, fishing,’ Anglo-Saxon wâð, ‘chase,’ and also to Modern High German weiden, ‘to graze, pasture,’ Middle High German weiden, Old High German weidôn, ‘to forage’; Middle High German wiedeman, ‘hunter,’ Modern High German Waidmann (compare the proper name Weidmann with Jäger, and also Weidner, from Middle High German weidenœre, ‘hunter, sportsman’). If the cognates be traced back to a root wai, ‘to forage,’ Latin vê-nâri, ‘to chase, hunt,’ may be connected with it; compare also the Sanscrit root vî, ‘to fly at, attack something, take food.’ Compare farther Eingeweide, to which Modern High German, ausweiden is allied.