English
withy
Withy comes from Old English wīþiġ ‘willow, withy’, from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis ‘that which twines or bends, branch, switch’, and ultimately from *weh₁y-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weh₁y-‘to twine, wind’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéh₁itis‘that which twines or bends, branch, switch’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīþijō‘willow’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wīþiġ‘willow, withy’
- Englishearliest quotation 1922withy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weh₁y-‘to twine, wind’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéh₁itis‘that which twines or bends, branch, switch’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīþijō‘willow’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wīþiġ‘willow, withy’
- Englishearliest quotation 1922withy
Earliest quotation: 1922, Eric Rücker Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance: “In the midst of the meadow was a space…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weh₁y- ‘to twine, wind’
weak, wine, wire, vinyl, iris, vine, novella, vino, vignette, vetch, 28 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis ‘that which twines or bends, branch, switch’
Today it means
noun An osier (Salix viminalis), a type of willow.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weh₁y- / withy