Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wisulǭ

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

A diminutive of a word *wisō- (“European polecat, Mustela putorius”). From the root Proto-Indo-European *weys- (“to ooze, stink”), compare *wisundz (“bison”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈwi.su.lɔ̃ː/

*wisulǭ f

1. weasel

• Proto-West Germanic: *wisulā
  • Old English: weosule, wesle, uuesulae, uuesole — early
    • Middle English: wesele, wassele, wasyll, whesille, weesylle, wesel, wesil, wesile, wezele
      • English: weasal
      • Middle Scots: quhasill, wasyll, wasyll
        • Scots: whaisel, whaizle, wheesel, weasel (associated with whaisle "to wheeze")
  • Old Frisian: *wisele
    • Saterland Frisian: Wiezelke (possibly borrowed from German)
    • West Frisian: wezeling (possibly borrowed from Low German)
  • Old Saxon: *wisula
    • Middle Low German: wēsel, wesele
      • Low German: Wessel, Wissel
      • Plautdietsch: Wäsel
  • Old Dutch: *wisala
    • Middle Dutch: wēsel
      • Dutch: wezel
        • Afrikaans: wesel
      • Limburgish: wezel, wieëzel
  • Old High German: wisula, wisala
    • Middle High German: wisele
      • German: Wiesel
      • Luxembourgish: Wisel
• Old Norse: visla; hreysivisla
  • Icelandic: hreysivisla
  • Faroese: vesla
  • Norwegian: vesel
  • Old Swedish: visla
    • Swedish: vessla
  • Old Danish: wæslæ
    • Danish: væsel
  • Gutnish: vissle, visslå