An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/weigern

by Friedrich Kluge

weigern, vb., ‘to refuse, deny,’ from MidHG. weigern, OHG. weigarôn, ‘to oppose, refuse’; allied to OHG. weigar, ‘foolhardy,’ lit. perhaps ‘obstinate, resisting.’ This is connected with the Teut. root wī̆g, ‘to fight,’ mentioned under the preceding word.