An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Weste

by Friedrich Kluge

Weste, f., ‘vest, waistcoat,’ adopted as a current term in the last cent. Since the word is unknown to the older dialects, it must have been borrowed from Fr. veste (Lat. vestis); had it, however, appeared earlier in the OTeut. dialects, it would have been primit. allied to Lat. vestis. The modern dial. form, MidHG. wester, ‘christening gown’ (found espec. in compounds), is based on the same Aryan root as Lat. vestis. With the Aryan root wes, ‘to clothe’ (equiv. to Sans. vas, Gr. ἔννυμι for *ϝεσ-νυμς, Lat. ves-tis), are also connected Goth. wasjan, ‘to dress,’ OHG. and AS. węrian, E. to wear.