English
Pronunciation
AHD|wīt, IPA|/waɪt/, SAMPA|/waIt/
rhymes|aɪt
Homophones
white (in accents with the wine-whine merger)
wite
Etymology 1
From a Middle English word that derives from the Old English wiht, akin to Old High German wiht, meaning a creature or thing.<ref>Merriam-Webster, 1974.</ref> The word is a cognate with Dutch wicht, German Wicht, and Swedish vätte.
Noun
en-noun
- archaic A living creature, especially a human being.
- context|paganism A being of one of the Nine Worlds of heathen belief, especially a nature spirit, elf or ancestor.
Quotations
circa 1602, w:William Shakespeare|William Shakespeare, s:The Merry Wives of Windsor|The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act i, sc. 3:
:O base Hungarian wight! wilt thou the spigot wield?
1626, w:John Milton|John Milton, s:On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough|On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough, verse vi
:Oh say me true if thou wert mortal wight<br/>And why from us so quickly thou didst take thy flight.
1789, w:William Blake|William Blake, s:A Dream (Blake)|A Dream, lines 14-15-16
Etymology 2
From Old Norse vÃgt, neuter of vÃgr ‘skilled in fighting, of age’, cognate with Old English wig#Old English|wÄ«Ä¡.<ref>Merriam-Webster, 1974.</ref>.
Adjective
wight
- (archaic except in dialects'') brave, valorous, strong
See also
Isle of Wight
References
<references />
R:Webster NCD 1974
Category:English homophones
Category:Old Norse derivations
Middle English
Noun
enm-noun|wightes
- A #English|wight.
Quotations
1368-1372, w:Geoffrey Chaucer|Geoffrey Chaucer, s:The Book of the Duchess|The Book of the Duchess, line 579:
:"Worste of alle wightes."
1379-1380, w:Geoffrey Chaucer|Geoffrey Chaucer, s:The House of Fame|The House of Fame, line 1830-1831:
:"We ben shrewes, every wight,
ru:wight
te:wight
vi:wight
zh:wight
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