Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/422

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has been rightly compared with the Aryan root welk, ‘to march,’ preserved in Gr. ἕλκω, OSlov. vlęką, so that Wolf meant perhaps ‘robber.’ The word was often used in Teut. to form names of persons; comp. Wolfram, under Rabe; Rudolf, from Ruodolf (lit. ‘famous wolf,’ see Ruhm), Adolf, from Adalolf (lit. ‘noble wolf, see Adel).

Wolke, f., ‘cloud,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wolken, OHG. wolchan, m.; also in MidHG. (Alem., MidG.) wolke, OHG. wolcha, f., ‘cloud.’ Corresponding to OSax. wolcan, n., Du. wolk, AS. wolcen, ‘cloud’ (to which E. welkin is allied). Under welk a pre-Teut. root welg, ‘moist,’ is assumed, with which the term wolkôn (wolken-), n., ‘cloud’ (lit. ‘the moist thing’), peculiar to West Teut., is connected.

Wolle, f., ‘wool, down,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wolle, OHG. wolla, f.; corresponding to Goth. wulla, AS. wull, E. wool, Du. wol. Teut. wullô-, from pre-Teut. wlná (for ll from ln see Welle and voll), corresponding the Aryan languages to Sans. ûrṇâ, OSlov. vlŭna, Lith. vílna, ‘wool’; in Lat. villus, vellus. Sans. ũrṇâ is connected with a root vṛ, ‘to cover, wrap’ (pres. ûrṇõmi); hence Welle (Aryan wlnâ) meant lit. ‘that which covers.’ Gr. εἰρος, ἔριον, ‘wool,’ cannot be related to the common Aryan cognates (root wel).

wollen, vb., ‘to wish, be willing, have a mind to, intend,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wollen (węllen), OHG. wellan (węllan); an anomalous vb.; the further details belong to grammar. Comp. OSax. węllian, willian, Du. willen, AS. willan, E. to will, Goth. wiljan. The connection between the Teut. root wel, ‘to wish,’ with which Wahl and wohl are also connected, and the equiv. Lat. velle is apparent; comp. also Sans. vṛ (var), ‘to choose, prefer,’ OSlov. voliti, ‘to be willing.’ Gr. βούλομαι ‘to be willing,’ is, on the other hand, not allied; it is more probably related to Gr. ἐθέλω, θέλω, ‘to wish,’ which, like Sans. hary, ‘to desire,’ points to an Aryan ghel (ghwel), which would produce in Teut. likewise a root wël, ‘to be willing.’

Wollust, f., ‘delight, voluptuousness,’ from MidHG. wol-lust, m. and f., ‘gratification, joy, pleasure, enjoyment, merry life, voluptuousness.’

Wonne, f., ‘rapture, ecstasy, bliss,’ from MidHG. wunne (wünne), OHG. wunna (wunni), f., ‘joy, pleasure, the most beauti-

ful and best’; corresponding to OSax. wunnia, ‘joy,’ AS. wynn. Goth. *wunni (gen. *wunnjôs) was probably a verbal abstract of Goth. wunan, ‘to rejoice,’ the root of which (Aryan wen, ‘to be pleased’) appears in wohnen. OHG. wunnea (MidHG. wünne), ‘pasture-land,’ has been considered as identical with Wonne; yet that word, like Goth. winja, ‘pasture, fodder,’ has its own early history. It has been preserved in Wonnemonat, ‘month of May,’ MidHG. wunnemânôt (winnemânôt), on. wunni-, winni-, mânôd, lit. ‘pasture month.’

worfeln, vb., ‘to fan, winnow,’ ModHG. only; intensive of werfen.

worgen, see würgen.

Wort, n., ‘word, term, expression,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wort, m.; corresponding to Goth. waúrd, OSax., AS., and E. word, Du. woord. The common Teut. wordo, ‘word,’ based on Aryan wṛdho-, is equiv. to Lat. verbum (Lat. b for Aryan dh, as in Bart, rot), Pruss. wirds, ‘word,’ and Lith. vardas, ‘name.’ Wort has with lees reason been regarded as an old partic. wr-tó- (for the suffix comp. satt and traut), and derived from the root wer (wrê), appearing in Gr. ῥήτωρ, ‘orator,’ ῥήτρα, ‘saying,’ ἐρέω, ‘to ask,’ and with which OIr. breth, ‘sentence,’ based on Aryan wṛto-, is connected.

Wrack, n., ‘wreck, refuse,’ ModHG. only, from LG.; comp. Du. wrak, E. wreck. Based on Du. wrak, ‘useless, damaged,’ and wraken, ‘to cast out.’

Wucher, m., ‘usury, interest,’ from MidHG. wuocher, OHG. wuohhar, m. and n., ‘produce, fruit, gain, profit’; corresponding to Goth. wôkrs, ‘usury.’ The OHG. and MidHG. sense ‘descendants’ points to a Teut. root wak, ‘to arise, bear,’ which is identical with the Aryan root wō̆g, ‘to be astir, successful, energetic’ (see wecken); comp. Sans. vãja, m., ‘power, strength, nourishment, prosperity,’ and AS. onwœcnan, ‘to be born.’ In meaning the Aryan root aug, ‘to increase,’ cognate with Aryan wog, is more closely connected; comp. Lat. augere, Goth. aukan (Lith. augti, ‘to grow’).

Wuchs, m., ‘growth, development’; ModHG. only, a graded form, from wachsen.

Wucht, f., ‘weight, burden,’ ModHG. only, from LG. wucht, a variant of Gewicht.

wühlen, vb., ‘to root, grub up, burrow, rummage, stir up,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wüelen, OHG. wuolen (from *wôljan);