𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃

• IPA^(key): /wiːhs/

From Proto-Germanic *wīhaz.

𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃 • (weihs)

1. holy, sacred

   Antonym: 𐌿𐍃𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃 (usweihs)

• The exact semantic differences between 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃 (weihs) and the far rarer 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌺𐌽𐍃 (airkns) and 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌲𐍃 (hailags) are unclear. The latter two however are only attested once, whereas weihs is one of the best-attested words of the Gothic language. Airkns (directly attested in the Ostrogothic sermon recorded in the Gothica Bononiensia) is only found in the Gothic Bible in affixed form (and then rarely) with an apparent meaning leaning towards sincerity (especially sincerity of faith), and hailags is only found in a difficult-to-interpret early runic inscription from an apparently pagan context.
• When substantivized, the word could be used to mean 'saint' (as at Ephesians 3:8).

• 𐌿𐍃𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃 (usweihs, “profane”)
• 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰 (weihaba, “holily”)
• 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌽 (weihnan, “to become holy”)

• 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌰 (weiha, “priest”)
• 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌰𐌽 (weihan, “to hallow, consecrate”)
• 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌹𐌸𐌰 (weihiþa, “holiness”)

From Proto-Germanic *wīhsą, from Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- (“house, settlement”). Cognates include Sanskrit विश् (viś, “village, settlement, tribe”), वेशः (veśáḥ, “inhabitant, neighbor”), Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos), dialectal ϝοῖκος (woîkos, “house, dwelling, fence, cage”), Latin vīcus (“group of houses, village”).

𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃 • (weihs) n

1. village
   • 4th century CE, Wulfila (attributed), Gothic Bible, Mark 8:26:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌹𐌽𐍃𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌳𐌰 𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐌳𐌿 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌰 𐌹𐍃 𐌵𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃: 𐌽𐌹 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃, 𐌽𐌹 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌷𐌿𐌽 𐌵𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌹𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐍅𐌴𐌷𐍃𐌰.

     jah insandida ina du garda is qiþands: ni in þata weihs gaggais, ni mannhun qiþais in þamma wēhsa.

     And he sent him away to his house, saying: do not go into the village, nor tell it to anyone in the village.

2. countryside

A variant spelling 𐍅𐌴𐌷𐍃𐌰 (wēhsa) is attested.