An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/heiter

by Friedrich Kluge

heiter, adj., ‘clear, serene, bright, cheerful,’ from MidHG. heiter, OHG. heitar, adj., ‘serene, bright, glittering’; comp. OSax. hêdar, AS. hâdor, ‘serene’; a West Teut. adj., but in Scand. heiþ-r, ‘serene,’ without the derivative r (all used orig. of the clear, cloudless sky only); comp. OIc. heiþ, ‘clear sky.’ Comp. Teut. haidra-, haida-, from pre-Teut. kaitró-, kaito-, with Sans. kêtú-s, m., ‘brightness, light, rays, flame, lamp’ (identical in form with Goth. haidus, m., ‘manner, mode,’ connected with -heit), from the root cit (kêt), ‘to shine forth, appear, see’; to this is allied a Sans. adj. 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 OIc. heiþr (gen. heiþar and heiþrs), m., ‘honour,’ as well as to -heit.