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Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com


 
 
           Here is the complete  expansion of the Indo-European root of  the word
           "witch", from THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF INDO-EUROPEAN ROOTS,
           revised  & edited  by Calvert Watkins  (Houghton Mifflin  Co.: Boston,
           1985; ISBN 0-395-36070-6): 
            
           WEIK- [1].  Clan (social unit above the household).   1. Suffixed form
           *WEIK- SLA  in  Latin  VILLA,  country house,  farm:  VILLA,  VILLAGE,
           VILLAIN,  VILLANELLE, (VILLEIN);  (BIDONVILLE).   2.  Suffixed o-grade
           form  *WOIK-O in:  a.  Latin VICUS,  quarter  or district  of  a town,
           neighborhood:  (VICINAGE), VICINITY;  b. Greek  OIKOS, house,  and its
           derivativ   e  OIKIA,   dwelling:  ANDROECIUM,   AUTOECIOUS,  DIOCESE,
           DIOECIOUS, DIOICOUS, ECESIS, ECOLOGY, ECONOMY, ECUMENICAL, 
           HETEROECIOUS, MONOECIOUS,  PARISH, TRIOUECIOUS.    3. Zero-grade  from
           *WIK-  in  Sanskrit VIS-  dwelling,  house,  with derivative  VAISYAH,
           settler: VAISYA. 
            
           WEIK- [2].   In words connectid  with magic and religious  notions (in
           Germanic and Latin).  1. Germanic suffixed form *WIH-L- in Old English
           WIGLE,  divination, sorcery, akin to the Germanic source of Old French
           GUILE,  cunning trickery: GUILE.   2. Germanic  expressive form *WIKK-
           in:  a. Old  English WICCA,  wizard, and  WICCE, witch: WITCH;  b. Old
           English  WICCIAN,  to cast  a spell:  BEWITCH.   3.  Possible suffixed
           zero-grade form *WIK-T-IMA in latin VICTIMA, animal used as sacrifice,
           victim  (although  this may  belong  to another  root  *[SHWA]WEK- not
           otherwise represented in English): VICTIM. 
            
           WEIK- [3].   To be like.   1. Suffixed variant form  *EIK-ON- in Greek
           EIKON,  likeness,  image: ICON,  (ICONIC),  ICONO-;  ANISEIKONIA.   2.
           Prefixed and suffixed zero-grade form *N-WIK-ES, not  like (*N-, not),
           in greek AIKES, unseemly: AECIUM. 
            
           WEIK- [4].  Also WEIG-.   To bend, wind.   I. Form WEIG-.  1. Germanic
           *WIK- in: a. Old English WICE, wych elm (having pliant branches): WYCH
           ELM; b. Swedish  VIKER, willow  twig, wand, akin  to the  Scandinavian
           source of Middle English WIKER, wicker: WICKER; c. Old Norse vikja, to
           bend,  turn, probably akin  to the Scandinavian  source of Old  Nort h
           French  WIKET,  wicket (<  "door that  turns?):  WICKET.   2. Germanic
           *WAIKWAZ in: a. Old  Norse VEIKR, pliant: WEAK;  b. Dutch WEEK,  weak,
           soft: WEAKFISH.  3. Germanic *WIKON-, "a turning," series, in Old 
           English  WICU, WICE, week:  WEEK.  II.  Form *WEIK-.   Zero-grade form
           *WIK-  in: a.  Latin VIX  (genetive VICUS),  turn, situation,  change:
           VICAR  (VICARIOUS), VICE[3];  VICISSITUDE;  b. Latin  VICIA, vetch  (<
           "twining plant"): VETCH. 
            
           WEIK- [5].  To  fight, conquer.  1. Germanic *WIK-  in Old Norse VIGR,
           able  in battle: WIGHT[2].   2. Nasalized zero-grade  form *WI-N-K- in
           Latrin VINCERE (past participle VICTUS), to conquer: VANQUISH, VICTOR,
           VINCIBLE; CONVINCE, EVICT. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                          Last amended June 11, 1989  --  Page NEXTRECORD 
 
 
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