Where does “-wich” come from?
-wich (English) comes from Old English wīc, from German witz, from Middle High German witz, from Old High German wizzi, from Proto-West Germanic wītī, from Proto-Germanic witją, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European wóyde — to see.
-wich (English): Village; settlement; hamlet; trading centre
Definitions
- Village; settlement; hamlet; trading centre
Ancestry of “-wich”, step by step
-wich traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English wīc
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 2 | German | witz | joke |
| 3 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 4 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |