Where does “wiht” come from?

wiht (Old English) comes from Latin Vectis, from Proto-Celtic wextā, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- — to bring; to transport.

wiht (Old English): creature, person, thing, being; weight

Definitions

  1. creature, person, thing, being; weight

Ancestry of “wiht”, step by step

wiht traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin Vectis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinVectisIsle of Wight
2Proto-Celticwextātime, course, turn
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport

via Proto-West Germanic wihti

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicwihtithing, creature; weight
2Proto-Germanicwihtizessence, being; thing, creature; weight

Words derived from “wiht”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- →Every word from Proto-Celtic wextā →Every word from Latin Vectis →