Etymology

Always viewed as (at least partly) a continuation of OE wiht 'weight', but the /e/ vowel evidenced by some ME forms is sometimes explained by influence from the ON cognate, represented by OIcel vǽtt, vétt 'weight', v (< *weht, < PGmc *wextiz, cp. OFris wicht, MDu wicht, wichte weight'). The change in vocalism can be more simply accounted for, however, by influence from the v. weʒen 'to weigh' (thus Bj. 257). Bj. also notes that the distribution of /e/ forms may be taken as a point in favour of adducing ON input, but that this type of evidence is circumstantial. The pattern of distribution indicated by MED's citations is certainly far from clear cut. Influence from both ON and the English v. is also conceivable (thus OED, Anderson, MED).

PGmc Ancestor

*wextiz

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

vǽtt, vétt 'weight'
(ONP vǽtt (1) (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Icel vætt, Norw vætt

OE Cognate

wiht 'weight'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

CCC2c

Attestation

Forms with spellings in <e(i)> are first attested in Orrm and appear usual in N and E texts, but also commonly occur further afield.
 

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 1734; WA 5473

Bibliography

MED weght (n.1) , OED weight (n.1) , HTOED , HTOED , Bj. 257, de Vries vætt, Mag. vætt, Orel *wextiz (II), Kroonen *wehti- (2), AEW wiht