An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Heirat

by Friedrich Kluge

Heirat, f., from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. hîrât, m. and f., ‘marriage,’ lit. ‘care of a house’; Goth. *heiws, ‘house,’ in heiwa-frauja, m., ‘master of the house.’ The earlier ModHG. form Heurat is due to MidHG. *hîa-rât for hîw-. AS. hîrêd, hîrĕd, ‘family,’ MidE. hîred, and AS. hîwrœ̂den, MidE. hîreden in the same sense. The first component, Goth. heiwa-, is widely diffused in OTeut. OIc. hjú, hjún, n. plur., ‘man and wife, married couple, domestics,’ OIc. hyske, n., ‘family,’ híbýle, hýbýle, n., ‘place of residence.’ AS. hîwan, plur., ‘servants,’ E. hind (E. hive, which is often connected with the cognates in question, is not allied, since it is due to AS. hŷf, ‘beehive’). Scand. hyske, n., corresponds to the West Teut. terms, OHG. hîwiski, n., ‘family, housekeeping, domestics,’ also OHG. hîun, plur., ‘man and wife, servants,’ hîwo, ‘husband,’ hîwa, ‘wife.’ Goth. heiwa-, ‘house, housekeeping,’ has consequently numerous cognates within the Teut. group. Its relation to the non-Teut. words is dubious; Lat. civis, ‘citizen,’ Lith. szeima, szeimýna, ‘domestics,’ OSlov. sěmĭja, sěmija, ‘domestics,’ are usually connected with it. Others refer it to the root appearing in Heim. See Rat.