weit German · revision 35404

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /vaɪ̯t/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''weit''' (strong nominative masculine singular weiter, comparative weiter, superlative am weitesten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|wīt]], [[inh|goh|wīt]], [[inh|gem-pro|*wīdaz|t=wide]].^(Kluge 2011|980)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same word is [[osx|wīd]], [[non|víðr]], [[ang|wīd]] and [[ofs|wīd]], and today [[nl|wijd]], [[en|wide]] and [[sv|vid]]; it is not recorded in Gothic.^(Kluge 2011|980)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|28, 1229)

+

+ Its further origin is disputed.^(Kluge 2011|980)^(Kroonen 2013) Kluge calls it unclear: a Sanskrit adjective meaning “straight” matches it in form, but its meanings do not fit and its own analysis is ambiguous.^(Kluge 2011|980) Pfeifer, the Duden and Wahrig explain it as [[ine-pro|*u̯i-ito-|t=gone apart]], from the prefix [[ine-pro|*u̯ī-|t=apart]] of [[wider]] and [[Witwe]] and a participle of [[ine-pro|*ei-|t=to go]], the root of [[eilen]]; they compare [[ae|vītay-|t=going away]] and [[la|vītō|t=to avoid]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) The Grimms' dictionary also finds this the most likely explanation, though no convincing match outside Germanic has been shown.^(DWB|28, 1229) Kroonen instead reconstructs [[ine-pro|*h₁uei-dʰh₁-o-|t=set apart]], with a prefix dissimilated from [[ine-pro|*dui-|t=in two]] and the root “to put”, the same combination as in [[m|la|dīvidō|t=to divide]] and in the word for widow.^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''wīt'' appears in glosses from the end of the 8th century and in Tatian, Otfrid and Notker, meaning “wide, broad, large, spacious”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|395) All the Germanic languages agree on the basic meaning “extended in space”.^(DWB|28, 1229)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Paul describes the oldest sense as “roomy”, seen from inside the thing (the opposite of [[eng]]), as with clothes and openings, and transferred to the mind (''ein weites Gewissen'', ''im weiteren Sinn'').^(Paul 2002) Limited to one dimension it came to mean “far” (the opposite of ''kurz''), first with verbs of motion (''weit gehen'', ''weit werfen'') and then in phrases such as ''weit entfernt'' and ''das geht zu weit''.^(Paul 2002) From the 14th century the adverb also strengthens a comparative: ''weit besser'' “far better”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Old High German ''wītī'' gave the noun [[Weite]], and the verb [[erweitern]] appears at the beginning of the 16th century beside the older ''weitern''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) Since the second half of the 20th century ''-weit'' has formed compounds such as [[weltweit]], [[landesweit]] and ''europaweit'', on the model of English ''-wide'' as in ''worldwide''.^(Duden 7 2020) In seamen's language ''das Weit'' is the greatest width of a ship.^(DWB|28, 1267)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 8th century – Old High German ''wīt'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – The noun ''wītī'', the ancestor of ''Weite'', is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 14th century – ''weit'' is first used to strengthen a comparative.^(Paul 2002)

+ * Early 16th century – ''erweitern'' “to widen” appears.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – ''weitläufig'' and ''weitsichtig'' are formed.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 2nd half of the 20th century – Compounds with ''-weit'', modelled on English ''-wide'', spread.^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|wide]], broad, of large width: ''eine weite Öffnung'', ''das Hemd ist schön weit''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Having a stated width: ''ein drei Zoll weites Rohr''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Long, extending over a great [[m|en|distance]]: ''eine weite Reise'', ''mit weiten Schritten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Advanced to a certain point in a process or [[m|en|development]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|far]]: ''weit hinausschwimmen'', ''wie weit ist es bis dorthin?''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Far, much (before a comparative): ''weit besser''.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Weite]]

+ * [[weiten]]

+ * [[erweitern]]

+ * [[weiter]]

+ * [[weitaus]]

+ * [[weitläufig]]

+ * [[weitsichtig]]

+ * [[weltweit]]

+ * [[landesweit]]

+ * [[meilenweit]]

+ * [[himmelweit]]

+ * [[sperrangelweit]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[wider]]

+ * [[Witwe]]

+ * [[eilen]]

+ * [[en|wide]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Weit und breit'' means “far and wide, all around”;^(Adelung 1793)^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''das geht zu weit'' “that is going too far”.^(Adelung 1793)^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}