a way, a road, cognate with the Lat. via; e.g. Wegefurt and Wayford (the way to the ford); Bradenwaag, (broad way); Lichtenweg (the cleared road); Wegmühle (mill road); Wainfleet (the way by the harbour); Wakefield (the field by the wayside); Norway, A.S. Norwaegas (the northern districts or paths); Courbevoie, Lat. Curba-via (the curbed way), in France.
WEIDE (Ger.),
WEOD (A.S.),
pasture; e.g. Langenweid (the long pasture); Rathsweide (the councillor’s pasture); Neuweid (new pasture); Mittweyda (the middle pasture).
WEILER (Ger.),
a hamlet, Old Ger. wila; e.g. Kleinweil (the little hamlet); Kurzweil (short hamlet); Langweil (long hamlet), Pfaffwyl (the priest’s hamlet); Weiller, in Alsace, Echzell, in Hesse-Darmstadt, corrupt. from Achizwila (the hamlet on the water); Eschweiler (the hamlet near ash-trees); Dettweiler (the hamlet of the diet, or people’s meeting); Rappersweil (the hamlet of Rappert, a personal name); Rothwell, in Baden, anc. Rotwili (red hamlet). In England this word takes the form of well or will, as in Kittlewell and Bradwell. In Normandy, Hardvilliers, Rohrwiller, Neuviller, etc.
WEIR (A.S.),
a dam, that which wards off the water, wearan, A.S., to guard; e.g. Ware, in Co. Hertford, named from a dam on the R. Lea, made by the Danes; Wareham (the town on the Weir), in Dorsetshire; Warminster (the monastery near the weir.)
WEISS (Ger.),
HWIT (A.S.),
HVID (Scand.),
white; e.g. Weisshorn (white cape); Weissmaes (white field); Weissenberg and Weissenfels (white rock); Weissenburg and Weissenstadt (white town); Weissenthurm (white tower). Sometimes the word takes the form of witten, as in Wittenberg and Wittenburg (white fortress), although this prefix is frequently derived from vitu, wood; Whitacre (white field); Whitburne, Whitbourne, Whitbeck (white stream); Witley (white meadow); Whiston, in Worcester, so named because it was originally a convent of white nuns.
WEND, WIND,