Wicht

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See also: wicht

German

FWOTD – 11 January 2019

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /vɪçt/
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪçt

Etymology 1

From Middle High German wicht, from Old High German wiht (“creature, thing”), from Proto-West Germanic *wihti (“essence, object”). Cognate with Dutch wicht, English wight, Swedish vätte, and Icelandic vættur.

Noun

Wicht m or (obsolete) n (strong, genitive Wichts or Wichtes, plural Wichte or (archaic) Wichter, diminutive Wichtchen n or Wichtlein n)

  1. a small creature, particularly a goblin, sprite, leprechaun, kobold
    • 2010, Elke Bräunling, Wichtelfantasie, Verlag Stephen Janetzko, →ISBN:
      Da fängt das Gras an zu wachsen und auf einmal ähnelt jeder Grashalm einem tanzenden Wicht.
      Then the grass starts to grow and suddenly every stalk of grass resembles a dancing sprite.
  2. (of a child, mildly derogatory or endearing) a cheeky one; a rascal
    Synonym: Gör
  3. (of an adult, more derogatory) one who is mean but unimportant
  4. (derogatory) dwarf, little man
Usage notes
  • In contemporary German, Wicht is masculine with a plural Wichte. The neuter gender is obsolete. The plural Wichter is archaic as far as the simplex is concerned, but is still sometimes seen in the compound Bösewicht. Compare also etymology 2 below.
Declension
Declension of Wicht
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der, das Wicht die Wichte, Wichter2
genitive eines des Wichts, Wichtes der Wichte, Wichter2
dative einem dem Wicht, Wichte1 den Wichten, Wichtern2
accusative einen, ein den, das Wicht die Wichte, Wichter2

1Now rare, see notes.
2Archaic outside compounds.

Related terms

Etymology 2

The same word as above, but in this use chiefly from Middle Low German wicht, from Old Saxon wiht.

Noun

Wicht n (strong, genitive Wichts or Wichtes, plural Wichter)

  1. (archaic, regional, northern and western Germany, not pejorative) a child or young person, chiefly and in some regions exclusively: a girl
    • 1934, Josef Winkler, Der alte Fritz: ein niederdeutscher Volksmythus, page 335:
      Als das Holz mächtig flammte und die Wichter und Jungs herumsprangen und sangen, auf einmal rief einer: »De olle Fritz! De olle Fritz mit de lange Nierse!«
      When the wood was burning with mighty flames and the girls and boys were jumping around, singing—all of a sudden someone yelled : “Old Fritz! Old Fritz with the long nose!”
Declension
Declension of Wicht
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein das Wicht die Wichter
genitive eines des Wichts, Wichtes der Wichter
dative einem dem Wicht, Wichte1 den Wichtern
accusative ein das Wicht die Wichter

1Now rare, see notes.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Middle Low German wicht, from Proto-West Germanic *wihti, from Proto-Germanic *wihtiz.

Alternative forms

Noun

Wicht f (genitive Wicht, plural Wichten)

  1. (rare, dated) Alternative form of Wichte (“specific weight”)
Declension
Declension of Wicht
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Wicht die Wichten
genitive einer der Wicht der Wichten
dative einer der Wicht den Wichten
accusative eine die Wicht die Wichten

Further reading

Plautdietsch

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *wihti (“weight”).

Noun

Wicht f (plural Wichten)

  1. weight
  2. stress
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