Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/418

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willio, Du. wil, AS. willa, E. will; an abstract from wollen, which see. Allied to willig, adj., ‘willing, voluntary, ready,’ from MidHG. willec, OHG. willîg. —

willfahren, vb., ‘to accede to, grant, humour,’ from late MidHG. willevarn.

willkommen, adj., ‘welcome, acceptable’; subst. ‘welcome, reception’; from MidHG. willekumen. Corresponding to Du. welkom, AS. wilcumen, E. welcome, whence OFr. wilecome (a form of greeting) was borrowed.

Willkür, f., ‘option, discretion, caprice,’ from MidHG. willekür, f., ‘free choice, free will’; gee kiesen and Kur-.

wimmeln, vb., ‘to swarm, teem with,’ from late MidHG. (MidG.) wimmen, ‘to be astir, swarm.’ From the same root wem (wam) are derived the equiv. OHG. wimidôn and wimizzen (wamezzen). OHG. wiuman, ‘to swarm with,’ seems to be a reduplicated present of the same root wen (we-wm-).

wimmern, vb., ‘to whimper,’ from MidHG. wimmer, n., ‘whining,’ beside which occurs an equiv. MidHG. gewammer, with a different stage of gradation; recent imitative forms.

Wimpel, m. and f., ‘pennon, flag, streamer,’ from MidHG. wimpel, f. and m., ‘banner, flag, naval ensign, kerchief,’ OHG. wimpal, ‘frontlet, veil.’ Allied to Fr. guimpe (OFr. guimple), ‘wimple, stomacher,’ Du. wimpel, AS. winpel, wimpel, E. wimple. The exact relation of these apparently compound words to one another is obscure, since the LG. dialects have mp coinciding with HG. (we should have expected mf in HG.). Since it is not yet known in which group it was borrowed, nothing definite can be said concerning its early history. The evolution in meaning is similar to that of Fahne.

Wimper, f., ‘eyelash,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wintbrâ, wintbrâwe, OHG. wintbrâwa, f.; lit. ‘the winding eyebrow.’

Wind, m., ‘wind,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wint (d), OHG. wint, m.; corresponding to Goth. winds, AS. and E. wind (to which window from OIc. windauga, lit. ‘wind eye,’ is allied), Du. and OSax. wind, ‘wind.’ The common Teut. windo-, from Aryan wē̆ntó-, is identical in form with the equiv. Lat. ventus, and Sans. vãta, m., ‘wind’ (comp. also Gr. ἀήτης?); they are derivatives of the present partic. wē̆-nt- of the root wê, ‘to blow’ (see wehen); for the form of the word comp. Zahn. While this word

extends beyond Teut. the terms for the chief directions of the wind are peculiar to that group (see Nord, Ost, &c.).

Winde, f., ‘windlass, winch,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winde, OHG. winta, f. —

Windel, f., ‘swaddling clothes, napkin,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winde, OHG. wintila, f.; lit. ‘means for winding about.’ —

winden, vb., ‘to wind, reel, twine,’ from MidHG. winden, OHG. wintan, str. vb., ‘to wind, turn, wrap’; comp. OSax. windan, ‘to turn’ (biwindan, ‘to wrap up’), Du. winden, AS. windan, E. to wind, Goth. windan. For the causative of this Teut. strong verbal root wind, ‘to turn, wrap,’ see wenden; other derivatives are wandern, wandeln. There are no certain cognates in non-Teut. Ital. ghindare, Fr. guinder, ‘to hoist,’ are borrowed from Teut.

Windhund, m., Windspiel, n., ‘greyhound, harrier,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wintbracke, wintspil; these compounds are tautological forms for MidHG. and OHG. wint, ‘greyhound.’ It is probably not connected with Wind, though the two words are instinctively associated. On account of the limited area of its diffusion, the prehistoric form cannot be discovered. Its kinship with Hund (Teut. hundo-, from hwundo-) is perhaps possible (Wind-, from hwindo-?); in that case the assonance with Wind must have caused the differentiation.

Windsbraut, f., ‘hurricane, tornado,’ from the equiv. MidHG. windes brût, OHG. wintes brût, f.; a remarkable formation, which is usually referred to mythological ideas. Yet OHG. and MidHG. brût in this compound might be cognate with MidHG. brûs, ModHG. Braus, if this were connected with pre-Teut. bhrût-to-.

Wingert, m., ‘vineyard,’ from MidHG. wī̆ngarte, OHG. wîngarto, m.; comp. also E. vineyard; lit. ‘wine-garden.’ For the shortening of MidHG. and OHG. î, comp. Winzer.

Wink, m., ‘sign, wink, nod, hint,’ from the equiv. MidHG. winc (k), OHG. winch, m.; allied to winken, vb., ‘to wink, beckon, nod,’ MidHG. winken, str. vb., OHG. winchan, wk. vb., ‘to move sidewards, totter, nod, wink’; corresponding to AS. wincian, E. to wink. If ‘to totter along, move with a sideward motion,’ is the primary meaning of the Teut. root wink, the Aryan root may be the same as that of weichen (wī̆g, wī̆k). Related to the following word.