wight

Meaning

Noun

1. (archaic) A living creature, especially a human being.
2. (Germanic, Old-Norse) A supernatural being, often used in compounds such as the land-vættr which guard the land, especially the four guardians of Iceland.
3. (poetic) A ghost, deity or other supernatural entity.
4. A wraith-like creature.

Adj

1. (archaic) Brave, valorous, strong.
2. (UK, dialectal, obsolete) Strong; stout; active.

Synonyms

creature

dwarf

gallant

heroic

Translations

yaratık

άτομο

criatura

ον

Kreatur

πρόσωπο

valoroso

créature

creatura

schepsel

ανδρείος

πλάσμα

heldenhaft

كائِن حيّ

θαρραλέος

Pronounced as (IPA)

/waɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: wight

Inherited from Old English: wiht

Cognate with Scots: wicht

Cognate with Dutch: wicht

Cognate with German: Wicht

Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål: vette

Cognate with Swedish: vätte

Cognate with Icelandic: vættur

Cognate with Old English: wīġ

In summary

From Middle English wight, wiȝt, from Old English wiht (“thing, creature”), from Proto-West Germanic *wihti, from Proto-Germanic *wihtiz (“thing, creature”, literally “being”), from Proto-Indo-European *wekti- (“cause, sake, thing”), from *wekʷ- (“to say, tell”).
Cognate with Scots wicht (“creature, being, human”), Dutch wicht (“child, baby, girl”), German Low German Wicht (“girl; wight”), German Wicht (“wretch, wight, little creature, scoundrel”), Danish vætte (“underground creature, gnome”), Norwegian Bokmål vette (“underground creature, gnome”), Swedish vätte (“underground creature, gnome”), Icelandic vættur (“imp, elf”). Doublet of whit.