Re: [tied] Proto-Indo-European WITCH

16-08-03 22:46, Miguel Carrasquer wrote:

> However, there are alternative possibilities. Problem is that OE -cc- can
> go back, I think, to any of PIE *k (Verner), *g and *gh before *j, and -i-
> to either *(e)i or *i.

I disagree with the first part. *-k(^)j- [+ Verner] and *-g(^)Hj- would
regularly have yielded OE <-cg-> (= <-gg->, phonetically a geminated
affricate), as in <ecg> 'edge' and <licgan> 'lie', respectively. <-cc->
might of course result from nasal assimilation, as in Mod.E lick < OE
liccian < (regularised) *likk-o:j-an- < *lig^H-n- (which opens further
possibilities).

One alternative which does look plausible to me is your No.4 below,
*w(e)ig- > PGmc. *wi(:)k- 'bend, turn, change' (Eng. week < OE wice <
*wik-o:n- 'order, succession' also belongs here).

Piotr

>
> The following roots in Pokorny may or may not be relevant:
>
> *aweg^/*aug^-/*weg^- "be fresh, strong" *wog^-ro-s "strong" (gives e.g.
> wake)
>
> *weg^h- "to move". This is where my Dutch etym. dictionary places wichelen
> "practivce sorcery" (Du. wegen "weigh", wikken "weigh repeatedly", wiggen
> "move", wiggelen "waggle", wichelen "practice sorcery", MLG wicken,
> wichelen "practice sorcery", OE wi:glian "practice sorcery", wigle
> "sorcery")
>
> 1. *weik- "to set apart" (Goth. weihs "holy", weihan "consacrate", OE
> we:oh, wi:g "pagan idol", German Weih-nachten, weihen "consacrate") This is
> where IEW puts wicca, wicce. [IEW: Beziehung zu 4. weik-, weigh- "biegen"
> usw. ist nicht ausgeschlossen]
>
> 2. *weik- "energische, bes. feindselige Kraftäusserung"; *woika:
> "Lebenskraft" (Goth. weihan "to fight, wage war", Latin vincere)
>
> 4. *weik-, *weig- (extended from *wei- "to bend"): Germanic words for
> willow etc. < *weik-, Germanic weak, wicker from *weig-)