*waikw

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *waikw "weak, soft, pliable" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *waikwaz (“weak, pliable”),^[1][2] which Köbler cites as *waika- or *waikwa-, Kroonen as *waika- and Orel as *waikaz.^[3][4][5] Kroonen and Orel derive the adjective from the strong verb "to give way", Kroonen's *wīkwan- and Orel's *wīkanan, so that its first meaning was "giving way".^[4][5]

Morphology

An adjective.^[2][6]

Evidence

The adjective is attested as Old English wāc,^[7] Old Frisian wāk,^[8] Old Saxon wēk in the Heliand and the Old Saxon Genesis,^[9][6] and Old High German weih, recorded in glosses from 765.^[10] ONW has no Old Dutch record of the adjective, only the past participle of a verb formed from it (see Derivatives).^[11]

Competing analyses

The stem is disputed: Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Germanic *waikwaz with a labiovelar,^[12] while Kroonen and Orel set up an a-stem without one, *waika- and *waikaz, and Köbler gives both.^[4][5][3] Holthausen cites Old Norse veikr beside veykr, with the accusative veykvan.^[7]

Meanings

1. weak, soft, pliable^[1][4]

Old English also used the word for "effeminate, timid, yielding, insignificant, wretched",^[7] Old Frisian for "gentle, tender",^[8] Old Saxon for "disheartened",^[9] and Old High German for "slack, sick".^[10]

Derivatives

• *waikwijan "to weaken, to soften", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[13] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *waikjanan from the adjective and lists Old English wǣcan (“to weaken”), an Old Low Franconian verb "to soften" and Old High German weihhen.^[5] ONW records the past participle Old Dutch geuueicoda in the Old Low Franconian psalms of the 10th century.^[11]
• *waikwalīk "weakly, frail", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Orel has Proto-Germanic *waika-līkaz, the source of Old English wāclīc (“poor, mean”).^[5]

Reflexes

• Old English: wāc (“soft, weak, timid, yielding, poor, wretched”)^[7]
• Old Frisian: wāk (“soft, gentle, tender”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: wēk (“soft, weak, disheartened”)^[6]
• Old High German: weih (“soft, weak, slack, sick”)^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *waikw
2. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wāc
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *waika-
4. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 567
5. ^ a b c d e Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 440
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wêk
7. ^ a b c d Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wāc
8. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wāk
9. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. wek
10. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. weih
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. giwēkit
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *waikwaz
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *waikwijan
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *waikwalīk