Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/403

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HG. wacke, m., ‘rock-flint, block of stone projecting from the ground,’ OHG. *wacko- (from the base waggo), m., ‘pebble, flint.’ Further cognates are wanting.

wackeln, vb., ‘to shake, rock, totter,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. wackeln (and also wacken). An intensive form from MidHG. wagen, OHG. wagôn, ‘to move, totter, shake’; comp. Du. twaggelen, ‘to shake,’ AS. wagian, also E. to wag (from AS. *waggian). These cognates are certainly more closely related to ModHG. wiegen (Teut. root weg, from the Aryan root wē̆gh) than to the cognates of wanken.

wacker, adj., ‘valiant, gallant, honest,’ from MidHG. wacker (wacher), OHG. wacchar (wahhhar), adj., ‘cheerful, lively, awake’; comp. Du. wakker, ‘awake, awakened, cheerful, powerful,’ AS. wacor, ‘awake,’ OIc. wakr, ‘stirring, awake.’ An old derivative to Sans. vigra, ‘powerful, active’) from the Teut. root wak, ‘to be stirring, brisk’ (see wecken); comp. also wach.

Wade, f., ‘calf’ (of the leg), from the equiv. MidHG. wade, m. (used chiefly in the plur.), OHG. wado, m.; comp. the equiv. Du. wade. OIc. vǫðve, m., ‘muscle,’ shows that the more general meaning was ‘muscle’; OHG. ado (accus. wadun) is based on Teut. waþwo, m. There are no cognates in the non-Teut. languages.

Waffe, f., ‘weapon,’ from the equiv. MidHG. waffen, wâfen, OHG. waffan, wâfan, n., ‘weapon, sword, armour’; corresponding to Goth. wépna, n. plur., ‘weapons,’ AS. wœ̂pn, E. weapon, Du. wapen. Comp. also Wappen. Teut. wêpno- (wapono-) assumes a Teut. wêbono- (wobono-); its connection with the equiv. Gr. ὅπλον (lit. ‘utensil’) is conceivable by assuming a double root, wop, wob. Whether this root is identical with the Sans. root vap, ‘to scatter, sow,’ in which case ‘missile’ would be the primary meaning of Waffe, is uncertain.

Waffel, f., ‘waffle, wafer,’ ModHG. only, properly a LG. word; comp. Du. wafel (hence E. waffle), The Waffel was so called from its resemblance to the honeycomb, for the Fr. term gaufre signifies both ‘honeycomb’ and ‘waffle’ Comp. E. wafer and Wake.

Wage, f., ‘balance,’ from MidHG. wâdge, OHG. wâga, f., ‘balance, weighing-machine’ (allied to wägen). Corresponding to OSax. wâga, Du. waag, AS. wœ̂g (whence

E. to weigh), OIc. vâg, f., ‘balance.’ Allied to the Teut. root weg in wiegen.

Wagen, m., ‘vehicle, carriage, waggon,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wagen, OHG. wagan, m.; corresponding to the equiv. Du. wagen, AS. wœgn, E. wain, OIc. vagn, ‘waggon.’ Based on the Teut. root wëg (see Weg); from the corresponding Aryan root wëgh, wogh, ‘to drag, drive,’ are derived Gr. ἄχος, Lat. vehiculum, OIc. fén, ‘waggon.’ The Aryan words Rad and Nabe show that vehicles were used in primitive times; for the Aryan root wegh, ‘to drag, to move on,’ see wegen. —

Wagner, m., ‘cartwright’ from MidHG. wagener, ‘cartwright, driver, carrier,’ OHG. waganâri, ‘cartwright’; hence the proper name Wagner.

wagen, vb., ‘to venture, risk,’ fro MidHG. wâgen, wk. vb., ‘to hazard, venture,’ lit. ‘to put in the scales’ MidHG. wâge, f., ‘balance,’ also means ‘uncertain result’; the word is unknown to ModHG. in this sense.

wägen, vb., ‘to weigh,’ from MidHG. wëgen; identical with wiegen.

Wahl, f., ‘choice, election,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wal, OHG. wala, f.; to this is allied ModHG. wählen, ‘to choose,’ from the equiv. MidHG. węln, węllen, OHG. węllen (from *waljan), wk. vb. Comp. OIc. val, n., ‘choice,’ with velja, ‘to select.’ Allied to the Aryan root wel, ‘to wish,’ appearing in wollen.

Wahlstatt, Walstatt, f., ‘field of battle,’ from the equiv. MidHG. walstat, f.; MidHG. and OHG. wal, m., f., and n., has also the same meaning. The corresponding AS. wœl signifies ‘those left on the battlefield,’ also ‘corpse’ (to which wœlstôw, ‘place of combat,’ is allied); comp. OIc. valr, ‘the corpses on the battlefield,’ valfǫđr (lit. ‘father of the dead’). It is impossible to recognise in this primit. word a derivative of the root of wählen, as if it meant ‘the chosen favourites of the god of war, who were led away by the Valkyres.’ It is rather based on a root wăl, ‘destruction,’ which appears also in OHG. wuol, ‘defeat,’ AS. wôl, ‘plague, pestilence’; allied to wühlen?. — Walküre, f., ‘Valkyre,’ formed from OIc. valkyrja (AS. wœlcyrie), f., prop. ‘a divine maiden who makes a selection of the slain on the field of battle.’ See kiesen.

Wahn, m. ‘illusion, delusion,’ from MidHG. and OHG. wân, m., ‘uncertain, unfounded opinion, supposition, belief, hoping,