Witch Etymology
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)
|
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.
|
