An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Widder

by Friedrich Kluge

Widder, m., ‘ram,’ from MidHG. wider, OHG. widar, m.; corresponding to Goth. wiþrus, m. (ram? lamb?), AS. wëðer, E. wether, Du. weder, ‘ram, wether.’ Teut. weþru-, from pre-Teut. wétru-, is primit. allied to Lat. vitulus, ‘calf,’ Sans. vatsá, ‘calf, young animal,’ which are derived from Aryan wet-,‘year’; comp. Lat. vetus, ‘aged,’ Gr. ἔτος, Sans. vatsara, ‘year.’ Hence Widder means lit. ‘young animal, yearling.’