An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Wirt

by Friedrich Kluge

Wirt, masculine, ‘host, landlord,’ from Middle High German and Old High German wirt, masculine, ‘husband, head of the house, sovereign of a country, host, guest, landlord (of an inn, &c.)’; compare Old Saxon wërd, ‘husband, master of the house,’ Dutch waard, Gothic waírdus, ‘host.’ No connection with Latin vir, ‘man’ (for Teutonic wër, see Werwolf, Welt, and Wergeld), is possible, and it can hardly be related to warten.