An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/heißen

by Friedrich Kluge

heißen, verb, ‘to bid, command, be called, signify,’ from Middle High German heiȥen, Old High German heiȥȥan, ‘to name, be named, be called, command, promise’; the passive sense, ‘to be named, nominari,’ did not originally belong to the active, but only to the Gothic and Anglo-Saxon passive form. Anglo-Saxon hâtan, ‘to name, promise,’ hâtte, ‘I am called’ and ‘I was called’; Old Icelandic heita, ‘to name, be named, promise, vow’; Gothic haitan, a reduplicated verb, ‘to name, appoint, call, invite, command,’ in the pass. ‘to be named.’ A common Teutonic verb with the primary sense ‘to call any one by name, to name,’ No words undoubtedly allied to the Teutonic root hait, from pre-Teutonic kaid, exist in the non-Teutonic languages. See anheischig.