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)
- Suffixed form *WEIK- SLA in Latin VILLA, country house, farm: VILLA, VILLAGE, VILLAIN, VILLANELLE, (VILLEIN); (BIDONVILLE).
- Suffixed o-grade form *WOIK-O in:
- Latin VICUS, quarter or district of a town, neighborhood: (VICINAGE), VICINITY;
- Greek OIKOS, house, and its derivative OIKIA, dwelling: ANDROECIUM,
AUTOECIOUS, DIOCESE, DIOECIOUS, DIOICOUS, ECESIS, ECOLOGY, ECONOMY,
ECUMENICAL, HETEROECIOUS, MONOECIOUS, PARISH, TRIOUECIOUS.
- Zero-grade from *WIK- in Sanskrit VIS- dwelling, house, with derivative VAISYAH, settler: VAISYA.
WEIK- [2]. In words connected with magic and religious notions (in Germanic and Latin).
- Germanic suffixed form *WIH-L- in Old English WIGLE, divination, sorcery, akin to the Germanic source of Old French GUILE, cunning
trickery: GUILE.
- Germanic expressive form *WIKK-in:
- Old English WICCA, wizard, and WICCE, witch: WITCH;
- Old English WICCIAN, to cast a spell: BEWITCH.
- 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.
- Suffixed variant form *EIK-ON- in Greek EIKON, likeness, image: ICON, (ICONIC), ICONO-; ANISEIKONIA.
- 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.
- Form WEIG-.
- Germanic *WIK- in:
- Old English WICE, wych elm (having pliant branches): WYCH ELM;
- Swedish VIKER, willow twig, wand, akin to the Scandinavian source of Middle English WIKER, wicker: WICKER;
- Old Norse vikja, to bend, turn, probably akin to the Scandinavian
source of Old North French WIKET, wicket (<"door that
turns?): WICKET.
- Germanic *WAIKWAZ in:
- Old Norse VEIKR, pliant: WEAK;
- Dutch WEEK, weak, soft: WEAKFISH.
- Germanic *WIKON-, "a turning," series, in Old English WICU, WICE, week: WEEK.
- Form *WEIK-. Zero-grade form *WIK-in:
- Latin VIX (genetive VICUS), turn, situation, change: VICAR (VICARIOUS), VICE[3];
- Latin VICIA, vetch (<"twining plant"): VETCH.
WEIK- [5]. To fight, conquer.
- Germanic *WIK-in Old Norse VIGR, able in battle: WIGHT[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