An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/weichen

An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, W (1891)
by Friedrich Kluge, translated by John Francis Davis
weichen
Friedrich Kluge2508489An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, W — weichen1891John Francis Davis

weichen, vb., ‘to yield, give away, waver,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wîchen, OHG. wîhhan, str. vb.; corresponding to the equiv. OIc. ýkva, víkja, OSax. wîkan, Du. wijken. The Teut. root wī̆q, ‘to yield,’ lit. ‘to make room for some one, give way,’ appears also in Wechsel and weich. Its earlier form wī̆g (in Sans. vij, ‘to yield, flee’) is a variant of wī̆k, which is indicated by Lat. vices, ‘change,’ and espec. by Gr. εἴκω, ‘to yield.’ Comp. also Woche.