Weg German · revision 34834

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=ine-pro *weǵʰ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * [veːk], [veːç]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Weg''' ''m'' (genitive Weges or Wegs, plural Wege, diminutive Wegchen n or Weglein n)^(Wiktionary)

+ The final consonant was written ⟨c⟩ in Middle High German (''wec'', genitive ''weges''); spellings with ⟨k⟩ such as ''wek'' and ''weck'' are found in the 15th century.^(DWB|27, 2852)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|wec]], [[inh|goh|weg]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*weg]], [[inh|gem-pro|*wegaz|t=way]].^(Kluge 2011|975)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[got|𐍅𐌹𐌲𐍃|tr=wigs]], [[non|vegr]], [[ang|weg]], [[ofs|wei]] and [[osx|weg]], and today [[nl|weg]], [[en|way]], [[sv|väg]] and [[is|vegur]].^(Kluge 2011|975)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Kroonen and Orel derive the noun from the strong verb [[gem-pro|*weganą|t=to move, carry]], the source of [[bewegen]], [[wägen]] and [[wiegen]], which belongs to the root [[ine-pro|*weǵʰ-|t=to carry, bring, travel]].^(Kroonen 2013)^(Orel 2003)^(Kluge 2011|975)^(Pfeifer 1993) In meaning Kluge and Pfeifer compare [[lt|vėžė|alt=vėžė̃|t=wheel track, sledge track]], and Kluge also, with doubts about the sounds, [[la|via|t=road]].^(Kluge 2011|975)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|27, 2852) They take the first sense to have been “track, rut”, tied to the verb's sense “to travel”.^(Kluge 2011|975)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''weg'' is recorded from the 8th century, first in glosses and then in Isidor, the Tatian, Otfrid, Notker and many other texts, meaning “way, road, path, course, passage, journey”.^(Kluge 2011|975)^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Paul describes the first sense as a strip of ground made for moving along in a given direction, then the stretch that must be covered to reach a goal, and finally the act of moving in a direction, a walk or journey.^(Paul 2002) Like other words of motion it is used figuratively: ''der Weg zum Erfolg'', ''auf dem Weg der Besserung''.^(Paul 2002) Old Norse ''vegr'' and Old English ''weg'' could already mean “manner, method”, a sense German shares.^(DWB|27, 2852)

+

+ Many phrases are old: ''zuwege bringen'' “to bring about” goes back to Old High German ''zuo wege bringan'' “to bring onto the right way” (9th century); ''jemandem aus dem Wege gehen'' “to avoid someone” is recorded in the 16th century, ''jemandem im Weg sein'' in the 17th and ''jemandem über den Weg laufen'' “to run into someone” in the 19th.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) ''Den Weg allen Fleisches gehen'' “to die” is biblical.^(Paul 2002) The plant name [[Wegerich]] “plantain”, Old High German ''wegarīh'' (9th century), was shaped after personal names in ''-rīh''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''weg'' appears in glosses.^(Kluge 2011|975)^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – ''zuo wege bringan'' and ''wegarīh'' “plantain” are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1060–1065 – Middle High German ''wec'' is used by Williram.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 15th century – Spellings ''wek'' and ''weck'' appear.^(DWB|27, 2852)

+ * 16th century – ''jemandem aus dem Wege gehen'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''jemandem im Weg sein'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 19th century – ''jemandem über den Weg laufen'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|path]], [[m|en|track]] or lane, often unpaved, for walking or driving: ''ein schmaler Weg durch die Felder''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The [[m|en|route]] to a place: ''der Weg zum Bahnhof''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # A distance to be covered; a walk, trip or errand.^(Wiktionary DE)^(Paul 2002)

+ # A [[m|en|method]] or means: ''auf diesem Weg'', ''Mittel und Wege finden''.^(Wiktionary)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(with a preposition)'' Someone's course, the space needed to move: ''jemandem im Weg stehen''.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Wegweiser]]

+ * [[Wegerich]]

+ * [[Wegzehrung]]

+ * [[wegen]]

+ * [[unterwegs]]

+ * [[abwegig]]

+ * [[Ausweg]]

+ * [[Umweg]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[weg]]

+ * [[bewegen]]

+ * [[wägen]]

+ * [[wiegen]]

+ * [[en|way]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The adverb [[weg]] “away”, pronounced with a short vowel, is the same word: it comes from Middle High German ''enwec'', Old High German ''in weg'' “on the way”, like English ''away'' from Old English ''on weg''.^(Kluge 2011|975)^(Duden 7 2020|923)^(Paul 2002) The preposition [[wegen]] goes back to the dative plural, from Middle High German ''von … wegen'' “on the part of”.^(Duden 7 2020|923)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}