An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/heiter

by Friedrich Kluge

heiter, adjective, ‘clear, serene, bright, cheerful,’ from Middle High German heiter, Old High German heitar, adjective, ‘serene, bright, glittering’; compare Old Saxon hêdar, Anglo-Saxon hâdor, ‘serene’; a West Teutonic adjective, but in Scandinavian heiþ-r, ‘serene,’ without the derivative r (all used originally of the clear, cloudless sky only); compare Old Icelandic heiþ, ‘clear sky.’ Compare Teutonic haidra-, haida-, from pre-Teutonic kaitró-, kaito-, with Sanscrit kêtú-s, masculine, ‘brightness, light, rays, flame, lamp’ (identical in form with Gothic haidus, masculine, ‘manner, mode,’ connected with -heit), from the root cit (kêt), ‘to shine forth, appear, see’; to this is allied a Sanscrit adjective citrá-s, ‘glittering, radiating, bright, glorious,’ containing a derivative r, but with a differently graded vowel in the stem. A figurative sense is specially attached to Old Icelandic heiþr (genitive heiþar and heiþrs), masculine, ‘honour,’ as well as to -heit.