An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/wach

by Friedrich Kluge

wach, adj., ‘awake, on the alert,’ a remarkably late word (of the last cent.), which is entirely wanting in the earlier periods and dialects (in MidHG. wacker, see wacker); a recent derivative of wecken and wachen. The latter is an old form; comp. MidHG. wachen, OHG. wahhên, ‘to wake, be awake,’ OSax. wakôn, Du. waken, AS. wacian, wœččan, E. to wake, watch; also in Goth. waken, str. vb., ‘to be awake, watch.’ For the early history of the cognates see the causative wecken. The abstract form Wache, f., ‘guard, watch,’ is from MidHG. (very rare) wache, for which wahte, f. (ModHG. Wacht), is the usual term; to this ModHG. Wächter, m., ‘watch, guardian,’ from MidHG. wahtœ̂re is allied.