An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Heirat

by Friedrich Kluge

Heirat, feminine, from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German hîrât, masculine and feminine, ‘marriage,’ literally ‘care of a house’; Gothic *heiws, ‘house,’ in heiwa-frauja, masculine, ‘master of the house.’ The earlier Modern High German form Heurat is due to Middle High German *hîa-rât for hîw-. Anglo-Saxon hîrêd, hîrĕd, ‘family,’ Middle English hîred, and Anglo-Saxon hîwrœ̂den, Middle English hîreden in the same sense. The first component, Gothic heiwa-, is widely diffused in Old Teutonic Old Icelandic hjú, hjún, neuter plural, ‘man and wife, married couple, domestics,’ Old Icelandic hyske, neuter, ‘family,’ híbýle, hýbýle, neuter, ‘place of residence.’ Anglo-Saxon hîwan, plural, ‘servants,’ English hind (English hive, which is often connected with the cognates in question, is not allied, since it is due to Anglo-Saxon hŷf, ‘beehive’). Scandinavian hyske, neuter, corresponds to the West Teutonic terms, Old High German hîwiski, neuter, ‘family, housekeeping, domestics,’ also Old High German hîun, plural, ‘man and wife, servants,’ hîwo, ‘husband,’ hîwa, ‘wife.’ Gothic heiwa-, ‘house, housekeeping,’ has consequently numerous cognates within the Teutonic group. Its relation to the non-Teutonic words is dubious; Latin civis, ‘citizen,’ Lithuanian szeima, szeimýna, ‘domestics,’ Old Slovenian sěmĭja, sěmija, ‘domestics,’ are usually connected with it. Others refer it to the root appearing in Heim. See Rat.