wes-

I. wes-¹

To live, dwell, pass the night, with derivatives meaning “to be.” Oldest form *ə₂wes-.

1. O-grade (perfect tense) form *wos-. was, from Old English wæs, was, from Germanic *was-.

2. Lengthened-grade form *wēs-. were, from Old English wǣre (subjunctive), wǣron (plural), were, from Germanic *wēz-.

3. wassail, from Old Norse vesa, vera, to be, from Germanic *wesan.

4. Perhaps suffixed form *wes-tā-. Vesta, from Latin Vesta, household goddess.

5. Possibly suffixed variant form *was-tu-. astute, from Latin astus, skill, craft (practiced in a town), from Greek astu, town (< “place where one dwells”).

6. Suffixed form *wes-eno-. divan, from Old Persian vahanam, house.

 

[Pokorny 1. u̯es- 1170.]

  II. wes-²

To clothe. Extension of eu-¹.

1. Suffixed o-grade (causative) form *wos-eyo-. wear, from Old English werian, to wear, carry, from Germanic *wazjan.

2. Suffixed form *wes-ti-. vest; devest, invest, revet, travesty, from Latin vestis, garment.

3. Suffixed form *wes-nu-. himation, from Greek hennunai, to clothe, with nominal derivative heima, hīma (< *wes-mn̥), garment.

 

[Pokorny 5. u̯es- 1172.]

  III. wes-³

To buy.

1. Suffixed form *wes-no-. venal, vend, from Latin vēnum, sale.

2. Suffixed o-grade form *wos-no-. duopsony, monopsony, from Greek ōneisthai, to buy.

3. Suffixed form *wes-ā-. bazaar, from Persian bāzār, from Old Iranian *vahā-carana-, “sale-traffic.”

4. Perhaps suffixed form *wes-li-. vile; revile, vilify, vilipend, from Latin vīlis, cheap, base.

 

[Pokorny 8. u̯es- 1173.]

* * *