An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Woche
Woche, f., ‘week,’ from the equiv. MidHG. woche, OHG. wohha, usually with an earlier vowel wëhha, f., a common Teut. term based on a primary form, wikôn-. Comp. Goth. wikô, OSax. wika, Du. week, AS. wucu, wicu, E. week, and the equiv. OIc. vika, f. The assumption that Lat. vices, ‘change,’ was adopted by the Teutons in the sense of ‘week’ is untenable, for were the notion ‘week’ borrowed from the Romans, it would have assumed a form corresponding to Ital. settimana, Fr. semaine (OIr. sechtman), ‘week.’ The Teut. origin of the word is supported by the fact that it is borrowed by Finn. (as wiika), as well as by wîce, s., ‘alternate service,’ the AS. variant of wĭcu, which makes it probable that Woche meant ‘change’ (comp. Wechsel). The assumption of a loan-word is, however, most strongly opposed by the genuine Teut. names of the days of the week, which prove the existence of a developed chronology in the pre-historic period.