Wicht

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 The neuter gender is obsolete.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 [masculine // neuter (obsolete), strong]

	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

• Bösewicht
• Wichtel

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 [in Low German]: “Old Fritz! Old Fritz with the long nose!”

Declension

Declension of Wicht [neuter, strong]

	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

• Wechte, Wucht

Noun

Wicht f (genitive Wicht, plural Wichten)

1. (rare, dated) Alternative form of Wichte (“specific weight”)

Declension

Declension of Wicht [feminine]

	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

• “Wicht” in Duden online
• “Wicht” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Wicht” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Plautdietsch

Etymology

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

Noun

Wicht f (plural Wichten)

1. weight
2. stress