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Theorists have come up with many viable origins
for the word "witch". The most popular
of these are the Proto Indo-European Theories. They
are weik, weik and weid.[1] Most English dictionaries
will use one of these three sources to describe
the origins of 'witch'.
According
to The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European
Roots, weik actually has five distinct etymological
branches but only the two are attributed to the
supernatural. In contrast, the Concise Dictionary
of English Etymology, proponent of the 'weid'
premise, states that 'witch' primarily comes from
the word 'witan' through a series of phonetic changes.
One well thought out argument for this theorem can
be found at the following web site: Draeconin.
| Weik
1: in regards to sorcery and
religious matters [2] |
| wih-l |
OE: wigle (sorcery); wiglera, wiglere (sorcerer,
seer or prophet ); also > wil - MdE: wile;
OF: and MF: guile |
| wik
|
wik- means holy
OHG: wïhen ; MdG: weihen (to consecrate):
MHG: wïch (holy)
ON: vigja (also to consecrate),
L: victima (sacrifice)
|
| wihl
|
ON:(craftines)
|
| wikke
|
[wikke pertains to magic and sorcery only.]
MG: wikken (to predict) OHG: wicken (to work
magic) wikkerie(witchery)
LS: wiken, wicken. wigelen and wichelen (conjuring;
soothsaying) ; wikker, wichler (fortune telling)
; wikkerske (witch) ; wichelie (sorcery)
OE: wicca(m.), wicce (f.)(witch); wiccian
(to work sorcery, bewitch) wicce-craeft (witchcraft)
ME: witche and MdE: witch
|
Weik
2: bend or fold
|
| weik
|
OE: wican (to bend) from which MdE weak, wicker
and witch elm
OS: wican - wikan,
OHG: wichan, wicken (to bend)
ON: vikja (bend) vika (to fold)
|
Weid:
to see or to know. Semantically, seeing
and knowing are connected in Indo-European
languages.
|
| weid
or wid
|
L: video videre (to see); saga (female witch)
> MdE Sage Sagacious
G: wissen (to know); witken (to exercise ones
knowledge)
E: wit (knowledge); witan (to know) witega
(seer magician, prophet, sorcerer)
ON:, vitugr, vitka, vekka (vekke) (wise one)
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There
are other etymology theories but they are not widely
accepted. There is 'wat' meaning prophecy, inspiration
and ecstasy.[3] Then there is 'weg' (OE: weccan)
from which we get 'watch' and 'wake' and perhaps
even German's 'wikkjaz' - literally meaning 'one
who wakes the dead'.[4]
I
do not favor any one theory. In my opinion, a word
is an ideogram and while its' etymology is interesting,
I prefer the semasiology; a fancy way of saying
the study of the development and changes of the
meanings.
For me, it is more than "just semantics".
It is learning to say what you mean and mean what
you say.
Notes:
1. In Nigel Jackson's
book Call of the Horned Piper they are
listed as weik, wid and wat.
2. A History of Witchcraft,—Russell
B Jeffery; pg. 177
3.Presently, I cannot find much information on this
particular theory,
4. Online
Eytmology
The
American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots
Webster's Third New International Dictionary
of the English Language Unabridged Edition, Volume
III
Wordorigins.org
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