Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/410

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lit. meaning, ‘local image,’ is equally unsatisfactory, although MidHG. wîch- in MidHG. wîchgrâve, ‘municipal judge,’ and wîchvride, ‘municipal peace,’ certainly appears in the compound; comp. OSax. wîc, ‘town, place,’ Du. wijk, ‘quarter of a town,’ OHG. wîh(hh), ‘town, city.’ The signification of the second component cannot be explained from ModHG. Bild (MidHG. bilede). There existed beside OHG. and MidHG. bil-lîch, ‘suitable, right, an OHG. *bilida, ‘law, jurisdiction,’ which appears only in MidHG. unbilde (see Unbill); hence MidHG. wîchbilde meant first of all ‘municipal jurisdiction,’ and then ‘municipal territory’ (comp. Sprengel).

Weichen, plur., ‘groin’; the term was first recorded in the 14th cent., denoting the tender parts of the body between the ribs and loins.

weichen, vb., ‘to yield, give away, waver,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîchen, OHG. wîhhan, str. vb.; corresponding to the equiv. OIc. ýkva, víkja, OSax. wîkan, Du. wijken. The Teut. root wī̆q, ‘to yield,’ lit. ‘to make room for some one, give way,’ appears also in Wechſel and weich. Its earlier form wī̆g (in Sans. vij, ‘to yield, flee’) is a variant of wī̆k, which is indicated by Lat. vices, ‘change,’ and espec. by Gr. εἴκω, ‘to yield.’ Comp. also Woche.

Weichſel, f., ‘agriot cherry,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîhsel, OHG. wîhsila, f. The Teut. character of the word is undoubted; in spite of its absence in the other dialects, it is probably derived from the OTeut. period (hence Ital. visciola?). It is connected with OSlov. višnja, Lith. vyszna, ‘agriot cherry.’ The name of the river Vistula, ‘Weichſel’ (Lat. Vistula, AS. Wistle), has nothing to do with the word, nor with Weichſelzopf, m., ‘elflock, plica Polonica.’ The latter is said to have come from Poland, where matted hair is often produced by some disease; comp. Pol. wieszczyce, ‘elflock.’

Weid, see Waid.

Weide (1.), f., ‘willow,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîde, OHG. wîda, f.; comp. OIc. vîðer, AS. wîðig, E. withy (isolated MidG. and LG. dialects seem to lengthen the old ĭ in the accented syllable). Prehistoric wī̆t-, ‘willow,’ is indicated also by the equiv. Gr. ἱτέα and Lit. żilwytis, ‘grey willow.’ An Aryan root wī̆, ‘pliant, capable of being twisted,’ has been assumed, and the word compared also with Lat. vîtis,

‘vine, tendril,’ OSlov. viti (Lith. výti), ‘to turn, plait.’

Weide (2.), f., ‘pasture, pasture-land, from MidHG. weide, OHG. weida, f., ‘fodder, food, place for grazing, the search for food and fodder (chase, fishing).’ Allied to OIc. veiðr, ‘chase, fishing,’ AS. wâð, ‘chase,’ and also to ModHG. weiden, ‘to graze, pasture,’ MidHG. weiden, OHG. weidôn, ‘to forage’; MidHG. wiedeman, ‘hunter,’ ModHG. Waidmann (comp. the proper name Weidmann with Jäger, and also Weidner, from MidHG. weidenœre, ‘hunter, sportsman’). If the cognates be traced back to a root wai, ‘to forage,’ Lat. vê-nâri, ‘to chase, hunt,’ may be connected with it; comp. also the Sans. root vî, ‘to fly at, attack something, take food.’ Comp. farther Eingeweide, to which ModHG., ausweiden is allied.

Weiderich, f., ‘willow herb, ModHG. only; so called from its willow-like leaves; the term is formed like Wegerich and Hederich.

weidlich, adj., ‘brave, stout, vigorous,’ from MidHG. weidelī̆ch, weidenī̆ch, ‘lively, pert, distinguished, grand’; lit. ‘befitting the chase,’ from Weide (2); see the latter also for Weidmann.

weifen, vb., ‘to wind, reel,’ from MidHG. weifen, wk. vb., ‘to swing, wind on a reel,’ a factitive of MidHG. wîfen, str. vb., ‘to swing, wind.’ It is based on a Teut. root wī̆p, ‘to turn,’ which appears also in Goth. weipan, ‘to wreathe’ (waips, ‘wreath’); with this root Lat. vibrare, ‘to brandish, vibrate,’ is primit. cognate. Allied to Wipfel and Wimpel.

Weigand, m., ‘warrior, hero,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wîgant, m.; not an inherited term, but borrowed in the last century from MidHG. literature. It is a West Teut. form for ‘warrior’; comp. AS. wîgend, OSax. wîgand; properly a pres. partic. of the nearly obsolete (in West Teut.) root wī̆g, ‘to fight’ (comp. Goth. weihan and *wigan, str. vb., ‘to fight’). This is identical with the Aryan root wī̆k, ‘to be strong, bold,’ which appears in Lat. vincere, ‘to conquer,’ OIr. fichim, ‘to fight,’ as well as in OSlov. vĕkŭ, ‘strength’ (equiv. to OIc. veig, ‘strength’); comp. Lith. wikrus, ‘brisk.’ Allied to weigern and Geweih.

weigern, vb., ‘to refuse, deny,’ from MidHG. weigern, OHG. weigarôn, ‘to oppose, refuse’; allied to OHG. weigar, ‘foolhardy,’ lit. perhaps ‘obstinate, resisting.’