An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Weib

by Friedrich Kluge

Weib, n., ‘woman, wife,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. wîp (b), n.; corresponding to OSax. wîf, Du. wijf, AS. wîf, E. wife. If is wanting in Goth., certainly not by accident (the word used is qinô, qêns). The term wîbo- is specifically Teut., while Goth. qinô is prehistorically connected with Gr. γυνή, Sans. gnâ, ‘woman.’ Its kinship with Gr. οἴφειν is dubious; it is more probably related to Sans. vip, ‘inspirited, inwardly excited’ (of priests), to which OHG. weibôn, ‘to stagger, be unstable,’ is allied. Hence the Teutons must have coined the term Weib (wîbo- from wîpó-), because in woman they venerated sanctum aliquid et providum. In that case the remarkable gender might perhaps be explained as ‘inspiration, something inspired.’