Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/witaną

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.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *wóyde, from *weyd- (“to know; see”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwi.tɑ.nɑ̃/

Verb

*witaną

1. to know

Usage notes

This verb was probably used with facts and pieces of information, and likely had a meaning not unlike "to be aware of". For the verb associated with knowing how to do something as well as being familiar with people, places, concepts, skills and such, see *kunnaną.

Inflection

Conjugation of *witaną (preterite-present)

	active voice			passive voice
present tense	indicative	subjunctive	imperative	indicative	subjunctive
1st singular	*wait	*witį̄	—	—	—
2nd singular	*waist	*witīz	—	—	—
3rd singular	*wait	*witī	—	—	—
1st dual	*witū	*witīw	—	—	—
2nd dual	*witudiz	*witīdiz	—	—	—
1st plural	*witum	*witīm	—	—	—
2nd plural	*witud	*witīd	—	—	—
3rd plural	*witun	*witīn	—	—	—
past tense	indicative	subjunctive
1st singular	*wissǭ	*wissēdį̄
2nd singular	*wissēz	*wissēdīz
3rd singular	*wissē	*wissēdī
1st dual	*wissēdū	*wissēdīw
2nd dual	*wissēdudiz	*wissēdīdiz
1st plural	*wissēdum	*wissēdīm
2nd plural	*wissēdud	*wissēdīd
3rd plural	*wissēdun	*wissēdīn
	present	past
participles	*witandz	*wissaz

Related terms

• *gawissaz
• *waitijaną
• *witą

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *witan
  • Old English: witan, weotan
    • Middle English: witen, wete, weten, wetyn, wite, witenn, witten, wyett, wyt, wyte, wyten, woten
      • English: wit, weet
      • Scots: wit
  • Old Frisian: wita
    • Saterland Frisian: wíete
    • West Frisian: wite, witte
  • Old Saxon: witan
    • Middle Low German: wēten, wetten
      • German Low German: wetten, wieten
  • Old Dutch: witan
    • Middle Dutch: wēten
      • Dutch: weten
        • Afrikaans: weet
      • Limburgish: weite, wiete
  • Old High German: wizzan
    • Middle High German: wizzen
      • Alemannic German: wüsse
      • Cimbrian: bizzan
      • Central Franconian: wesse, wösse, wosse (Eifel)

        Hunsrik: wisse

        Luxembourgish: wëssen

      • German: wissen
      • Vilamovian: wysa
      • Yiddish: וויסן (visn)
  • → Old French: guier (see there for further descendants)
  • → Old Occitan: guidar
    • Catalan: guidar
    • Occitan: guidar
    • → Basque: gidatu
    • → Asturian: guiar
    • → Old French: guide (see there for further descendants)
    • → Italian: guidare
    • → Piedmontese: guidé
    • → Old Galician-Portuguese: guiar
      • Galician: guiar
      • Portuguese: guiar
    • → Spanish: guiar
• Proto-Norse: *ᚹᚨᛁᛏ (*wait)
  • Old Norse: vita
    • Icelandic: vita
    • Faroese: vita
    • Norwegian Nynorsk: vita, veta (dialectal) væta, vætæ, vata, våtå, vytå, vøtå, voto, veita, vessta
    • Elfdalian: witå
    • Old Swedish: vita, ᚠᛁᛏᛆ (Runic)
      • Swedish: veta
    • Old Danish: witæ
      • Danish: vide
        • Norwegian Bokmål: vite
      • Scanian: veda
    • Gutnish: vite
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (witan)