weiß German · revision 35043

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /vaɪ̯s/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''weiß''' (strong nominative masculine singular weißer, comparative weißer, superlative am weißesten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|wīz]], [[inh|goh|wīz]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*hwīt]], [[inh|gem-pro|*hwītaz|t=white]].^(Kluge 2011|980)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same adjective is [[osx|hwīt]], [[got|𐍈𐌴𐌹𐍄𐍃|tr=hweits]], [[non|hvítr]], [[ang|hwīt]] and [[ofs|hwīt]], and today [[nl|wit]], [[en|white]] and [[sv|vit]].^(Kluge 2011|980)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) Its stem corresponds to [[ine-pro|*ḱweyt-|t=to shine, be bright, be white]], found in [[sa|श्वेत|tr=śvetá|t=white, bright]], [[lt|šviẽsti|t=to shine]] and [[cu|свьтѣти|tr=svĭtěti|t=to shine]] and [[m|cu|свѣтъ|tr=světŭ|t=light]].^(Kluge 2011|980)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Pfeifer and the Duden take it as an extension of [[ine-pro|*ḱwey-|t=to shine]], and the Duden relates [[Weizen]] to the same root.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|926)

+

+ The Germanic final consonant does not match the Indo-European one, and the forms with short vowel and double ⟨t⟩ ([[gml|wit]], [[dum|wit]]) are a further problem.^(Kluge 2011|980)^(Pfeifer 1993) Lühr derives the ⟨t⟩ from an assimilated ⟨-tn-⟩, comparing a Sanskrit adjective “bright”, but Kluge holds the geminated forms to be late and secondary.^(Kluge 2011|980) Kroonen reconstructs [[ine-pro|*ḱuit-nó-]] with Kluge's law and takes the short-vowelled Frisian and Dutch forms from a zero grade, perhaps of an old ablauting adjective.^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''(h)wīz'' is recorded in the Hildebrandslied (first half of the 8th century?) and in glosses of the third quarter of the 8th century, and then in Tatian, Otfrid, Notker and Williram.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|396) It meant “white, shining, blond”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|396) Paul suggests that its first sense was “shining”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Like other colour words, ''weiß'' has expressed relative brightness as well as the pure colour since Old High German: white silver, white steel, white wine, white skin, and “colourless” in ''weiße Blutkörperchen''.^(Paul 2002) Adelung records around 1800 the senses “blank” (''weißes Papier'', and ''schwarz auf weiß'' “in writing”), “clean” (''weiße Wäsche'') and “lighter than others of its kind”, as in white bread made from wheat and white wine.^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ The silversmiths' ''weiß sieden'' or ''weiß brennen'', cleaning silver, gave the old phrase ''sich weiß brennen wollen'' “to protest one's innocence”.^(Adelung 1793)^(Paul 2002) ''Weiße Kragen'' for office workers (1968) follows English ''white-collar''.^(Paul 2002) In Berlin ''eine Weiße'' is a glass of [[Weißbier]], and ''Berliner Weiße mit Schuss'' is wheat beer with raspberry syrup.^(Paul 2002) English took over ''weiss beer'', and Hebrew ''Waiswurst''.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * First half of the 8th century? – ''wīz'' in the Hildebrandslied.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * Third quarter of the 8th century – ''wīz'' in Old High German glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 15th century – ''Weißkohl'' “white cabbage” is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – ''Weißbier'' and ''Weißbinder'' “house painter” appear.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1793 – Adelung records ''sich weiß brennen wollen'' “to plead innocence”.^(Adelung 1793)

+ * 1968 – ''weiße Kragen'' “white-collar workers”, after English.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|white]], of the brightest colour, like snow.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Pale, [[m|en|pallid]]: ''Sie wurde weiß vor Schreck.''^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # Light-coloured as opposed to darker kinds: ''weißer Wein'', ''weißes Brot''.^(Adelung 1793)^(Paul 2002)

+ # Belonging to the light-skinned [[m|en|European]] type.^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # Blank, not written on: ''ein weißes Blatt''.^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Weiß]]

+ * [[weißen]]

+ * [[weißeln]]

+ * [[Weißbier]]

+ * [[Weißwein]]

+ * [[Weißkohl]]

+ * [[Weißwurst]]

+ * [[Weißling]]

+ * [[Eiweiß]]

+ * [[kalkweiß]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Weizen]]

+ * [[en|white]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The same spelling ''weiß'' is also the first and third person singular present of [[wissen]] “to know”, which has its own origin.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Schwarz auf weiß'' means “in writing”, and^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}