Where does “wīz” come from?
wīz (Middle High German) comes from Old High German wīz, from Proto-West Germanic hwīt, from Proto-Germanic hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos — bright; shine; shine; bright.
Ancestry of “wīz”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | wīz | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | hwīt | white |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwītaz | white |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱweytos | bright; shine; shine; bright |