wiht

See also: Wiht

Old English

Alternative forms

• wiaht — Kentish
• wyht, wuht, uht

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wixt/, [wiçt]

Etymology 1

From a fusion of Proto-Germanic *wihtiz (feminine) and *wihtą (neuter), both meaning "thing". These words became *wihti and *wiht in West Germanic and then merged in prehistoric Old English by regular sound change.

Cognate with Old Saxon wiht (Low German Wicht), Old Dutch wiht (Dutch wicht), Old High German wiht (German Wicht), Old Norse vætr (Swedish vätte), and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (waihts) and 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄 (waiht).

Noun

wiht f or n

1. thing
   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy

     God ne ēht nānre wihte, for þȳ hine nān wiht ne mæġ flēon.

     God doesn't chase anything, because nothing can run from him.

2. being, creature

Declension

Feminine:

Declension of wiht (strong i-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	wiht	wihte, wihta
accusative	wiht, wihte	wihte, wihta
genitive	wihte	wihta
dative	wihte	wihtum

Neuter:

Declension of wiht (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	wiht	wihtu
accusative	wiht	wihtu
genitive	wihtes	wihta
dative	wihte	wihtum

Derived terms

• āwiht
• nānwiht
• sǣwiht (“sea creature”)

Descendants

• Middle English: wight, wiȝt
  • English: wight, whit
  • Scots: wicht, wycht

Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *wihti.

Cognate with Middle Low German wicht, Dutch wicht, gewicht, Old Norse vætt (compare also Danish vægt, Norwegian vekt); Old High German giwihti (German Gewicht).

Noun

wiht f

2. weight

Synonyms

• ġewiht (much more common)

Related terms

• wegan

Descendants

• Middle English: weght, weghte, weighte, weihte, weit, wighte
  • English: weight
  • Scots: wecht, weicht
  • Yola: waaight

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *wihti.

Cognate with Old English wiht, Dutch wicht, Old High German wiht (German Wicht), Old Norse vættr (“exceptional creature”), vætr, véttr, or vétr (Danish vætte, Swedish vätte), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (waihts).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wixt/

Noun

wiht n or f

1. creature, person, thing, being

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Middle Low German: wicht, wucht
  • German Low German: Wicht
  • Dutch Low Saxon: wicht
    • Westphalian:

      Ravensbergisch-Lippisch: Wicht

      Sauerländisch: Weyht

      Westmünsterländisch: Wicht