Here is the complete  expansion of the Indo-European root of  the word
          "witch", from THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF INDO-EUROPEAN ROOTS,
          revised  & edited  by Calvert Watkins  (Houghton Mifflin  Co.: Boston,
          1985; ISBN 0-395-36070-6): 
           
          WEIK- [1].  Clan (social unit above the household).   1. Suffixed form
          *WEIK- SLA  in  Latin  VILLA,  country house,  farm:  VILLA,  VILLAGE,
          VILLAIN,  VILLANELLE, (VILLEIN);  (BIDONVILLE).   2.  Suffixed o-grade
          form  *WOIK-O in:  a.  Latin VICUS,  quarter  or district  of  a town,
          neighborhood:  (VICINAGE), VICINITY;  b. Greek  OIKOS, house,  and its
          derivativ   e  OIKIA,   dwelling:  ANDROECIUM,   AUTOECIOUS,  DIOCESE,
          DIOECIOUS, DIOICOUS, ECESIS, ECOLOGY, ECONOMY, ECUMENICAL, 
          HETEROECIOUS, MONOECIOUS,  PARISH, TRIOUECIOUS.    3. Zero-grade  from
          *WIK-  in  Sanskrit VIS-  dwelling,  house,  with derivative  VAISYAH,
          settler: VAISYA. 
           
          WEIK- [2].   In words connectid  with magic and religious  notions (in
          Germanic and Latin).  1. Germanic suffixed form *WIH-L- in Old English
          WIGLE,  divination, sorcery, akin to the Germanic source of Old French
          GUILE,  cunning trickery: GUILE.   2. Germanic  expressive form *WIKK-
          in:  a. Old  English WICCA,  wizard, and  WICCE, witch: WITCH;  b. Old
          English  WICCIAN,  to cast  a spell:  BEWITCH.   3.  Possible suffixed
          zero-grade form *WIK-T-IMA in latin VICTIMA, animal used as sacrifice,
          victim  (although  this may  belong  to another  root  *[SHWA]WEK- not
          otherwise represented in English): VICTIM. 
           
          WEIK- [3].   To be like.   1. Suffixed variant form  *EIK-ON- in Greek
          EIKON,  likeness,  image: ICON,  (ICONIC),  ICONO-;  ANISEIKONIA.   2.
          Prefixed and suffixed zero-grade form *N-WIK-ES, not  like (*N-, not),
          in greek AIKES, unseemly: AECIUM. 
           
          WEIK- [4].  Also WEIG-.   To bend, wind.   I. Form WEIG-.  1. Germanic
          *WIK- in: a. Old English WICE, wych elm (having pliant branches): WYCH
          ELM; b. Swedish  VIKER, willow  twig, wand, akin  to the  Scandinavian
          source of Middle English WIKER, wicker: WICKER; c. Old Norse vikja, to
          bend,  turn, probably akin  to the Scandinavian  source of Old  Nort h
          French  WIKET,  wicket (<  "door that  turns?):  WICKET.   2. Germanic
          *WAIKWAZ in: a. Old  Norse VEIKR, pliant: WEAK;  b. Dutch WEEK,  weak,
          soft: WEAKFISH.  3. Germanic *WIKON-, "a turning," series, in Old 
          English  WICU, WICE, week:  WEEK.  II.  Form *WEIK-.   Zero-grade form
          *WIK-  in: a.  Latin VIX  (genetive VICUS),  turn, situation,  change:
          VICAR  (VICARIOUS), VICE[3];  VICISSITUDE;  b. Latin  VICIA, vetch  (<
          "twining plant"): VETCH. 
           
          WEIK- [5].  To  fight, conquer.  1. Germanic *WIK-  in Old Norse VIGR,
          able  in battle: WIGHT[2].   2. Nasalized zero-grade  form *WI-N-K- in
          Latrin VINCERE (past participle VICTUS), to conquer: VANQUISH, VICTOR,
          VINCIBLE; CONVINCE, EVICT. 











                         Last amended June 11, 1989  --  Page NEXTRECORD 


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