*wīsijan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *wīsijan.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *wīsijaną (“to show, to instruct”),^[1] which Orel cites as *wīsjanan and Köbler as *weisjan, *wīsjan.^[2][3] Orel derives the verb from the adjective Proto-Germanic *wīsaz (“wise”),^[2] and Berr calls the Old Saxon verb a factitive to the adjective wīs.^[4]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[5][6][7]

Evidence

The verb is found in Old Frisian wīsa,^[8] Old Saxon wīsian in the Heliand,^[6][4] Old Dutch wīsen in Williram's commentary of about 1100,^[9] and Old High German wīsen.^[7] Old English wīsian (“to show, to guide”) is listed by Berr with the Old Saxon verb,^[4] but Köbler takes it for a weak verb of class II from Proto-Germanic *wīsōn, so no Old English verb of class I is confirmed.^[10] The verb is to be kept apart from wīsōn (“to visit”) and its Old Dutch counterpart, which ONW lists as a separate verb.^[11][9]

Meanings

1. to show, to instruct^[1][2]

Old Frisian also used the verb in law for "to decide, to judge" and "to prescribe",^[8] Old Saxon for "to announce",^[4] and Old High German for "to lead" and "to summon".^[7]

Reflexes

• Old Frisian: wīsa (“to show, to prescribe, to teach, to judge”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: wīsian (“to show, to announce, to teach”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: wīsen (“to lead, to show”)^[9]
• Old High German: wīsen (“to show, to lead, to call”)^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wīsijan
2. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 468
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *wīsjan
4. ^ a b c d Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 457
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wīsa
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wīsian
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wīsen
8. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wīsa
9. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. wīsen
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wīsian
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wīsēn