weg

See also: Weg, WEG, weg-, -weg, and węg.

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch weg, from Middle Dutch wech, from Old Dutch weh, weg, from Proto-Germanic *wegaz, from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛχ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

weg (plural weë)

1. way; path

Derived terms

• duikweg

Adverb

weg

1. away

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch wech, from Old Dutch weh, weg, from Proto-West Germanic *weg, from Proto-Germanic *wegaz, from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋɛx/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: weg
• Rhymes: -ɛx

Noun

weg m (plural wegen, diminutive wegje n or weggetje n)

1. way, road
2. manner, way (figuratively)

   Waar een wil is, is een weg.

   Where there's a will, there's a way.

Derived terms

• achterwege
• autosnelweg
• autoweg
• omweg
• rijweg
• ringweg
• rondweg
• snelweg
• straatweg
• stroomweg
• tolweg
• vanwege
• ventweg
• verwegen
• wegaanduiding
• wegdek
• wegenaanleg
• wegenbouw
• wegenkaart
• wegennet
• wegenwacht
• weghelft
• wegverkeer
• wegvervoer
• wegzetten
• zijns weegs gaan

 

Descendants

• Afrikaans: weg

Adverb

weg

1. away
2. gone, disappeared

   Synonym: (slang) loesoe

3. (slang) hammered

   Hij was echt weg toen.

   He was really schnockered.

Derived terms

adverbs

• halfweg
• verreweg
• -weg

 

verbs

• wegbrengen
• wegdrinken
• weghalen
• wegkijken
• wegnemen
• wegsturen
• wegvoeren
• wegwerken

 

Descendants

• Afrikaans: weg
• Jersey Dutch: wääx

German

Etymology

Shortened from Middle High German enwec, from Old High German in weg, corresponding to modern in +‎ Weg. The first syllable is still seen in dialectal forms with e-; compare Luxembourgish ewech. Cognate with Dutch weg, Hunsrik wech, English away.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛk/ (standard)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /vɛç/ (northern and central Germany; becoming rare for this particular word)

• Audio (Bavaria):

  (file)

Adverb

weg

1. away

   Geh weg! ― Go away!

2. gone, not there

   Meine Tasche ist weg. ― My bag is gone.

   Das Rezept ist mit Knoblauch, aber du kannst ihn auch weglassen.

   The recipe is with garlic, but you can also do it without.

   (literally, “... you can also leave it away.”)

3. (regional, Westphalia) from

   Wo bist du denn weg?

   And you, where do you come from?

Conjunction

weg

1. (now rare) minus
   • 2007, Michael Gaidoschik, Rechenschwäche verstehen - Kinder gezielt fördern: Ein Leitfaden für die Unterrichtspraxis, page 76:

     [...] 3+5 „drei und fünf“ oder „drei plus fünf“ [...] „8-5“ als „acht weg fünf“ oder „acht weniger fünf“ oder „acht minus fünf“ [...]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2008, Matthias E. Jacob, Der erotische Bücherwurm: Dreizehn Geschichten aller Art, 2nd edition, page 22:

     Mathematik war das noch nicht; man sagte „und“ und „weg“ und „mal“ und „durch“. Eigentlich sollte man diese Sprachregelung wieder einführen, denn es sagt sich viel leichter „1 weg minus 2 ist 3“ als „1 minus minus 2 ist 3“.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Adjective

weg (indeclinable, predicative only)

1. (informal, predicative only) unconscious; passed out
2. (informal, predicative only) hammered; so drunk as being close to unconsciousness

Declension

Indeclinable, predicative-only.

Synonyms

• (away; gone): fort
• (from): her
• (hammered): breit, zu

Derived terms

• weg-

Ibanag

Noun

weg

1. brook; stream; pond

North Frisian

Alternative forms

• waag (Mooring)
• Week (Sylt)

Etymology

From Old Frisian wike, from Proto-West Germanic *wikā. Cognates include West Frisian wike.

Noun

weg f (plural wegen)

1. (Föhr-Amrum) week

   iansis a weg ― once a week

   iarst uun a weg ― start of the week

   maden uun a weg ― middle of the week

   letst uun a weg ― end of the week

Usage notes

• One of the original feminines that still commonly take the reduced article a (as above). See at for further information.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *weg.

Noun

weg m

1. way, path

Inflection

Declension of weg

	Singular	Plural
nominative	weg	wega
accusative	weg	wega
genitive	weges	wego
dative	wege	wegon

Alternative forms

• weh

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: wech
  • Dutch: weg
    • Afrikaans: weg
  • Limburgish: waeg

Further reading

• “weg”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Alternative forms

• wœg — Northumbrian
• weig

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *weg, from Proto-Germanic *wegaz.

Cognates include Old Frisian wei, Old Saxon weg, Old Dutch weg, Old High German weg, Old Norse vegr, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌲𐍃 (wigs). Compare West Frisian wei, Dutch weg, Icelandic vegur, Faroese vegur, Danish vej, Norwegian vei, and Swedish väg, which are all still the main word for both "way" and "road" in their respective languages.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wej/

Noun

weġ m (nominative plural wegas)

1. way
   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy

     Ġetǣċ mē þone weġ.

     Show me the way.

   • c. 992, Ælfric of Eynsham, "The Epiphany of the Lord"

     Wē ne magon ġeċierran þæs weġes þe wē cōmon.

     We can't go back the way we came.

   • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

     Hē lǣdde mē eft þȳ selfan weġe þe wit ǣr cōmon.

     He brought me back the same way we came before.

   • The Life of Saint Margaret

     Eall hīe hāl and ġesund on heora weġe hām ġewenton.

     They all went safe and sound on their way home.

   • Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, year 888

     Æðelswīþ cwēn, sēo wæs Ælfrēdes sweostor cyninges, forþfērde be Rōme weġe.

     Queen Æthelswith, who was King Alfred's sister, died on the way to Rome.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Deuteronomy 1:22

     Uton sendan sċēaweras þæt sċēawiġen þæt land and cȳðen ūs on hwelcne weġ wē faran sċulon and tō hwelcum burgum.

     Let's send spies who can survey the land and tell us which way to go and to what cities.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Seven Sleepers"

     nu ic wæs of þam rihtan wege mines ingeþances ac betere hit bið þæt ic eft fare ut of þysum porte ðylæs þe ic to swiðe dwelige and for-þy þonne ne cume to minum geferum þe me ær hyder sendon; gewislice ic her ongyten hæbbe þæt me hæfð gelæht fæste mines modes oferstige þæt ic nat na forgeare hu ic hit þus macige.

     Now I was in the right way in my inward thought, but better will it be that I go out of this town again lest I be too greatly bewildered, and so may not come to my comrades who erewhile sent me here; certainly I have here perceived that the over anxiety of my mind hath here seized me, so that I know not very certainly why I thus act.

2. road
   • 10th century, Kentish gloss of the Book of Proverbs

     þurh þīestre wegas

     through dark roads

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Numbers 21:22

     Swā swā sē weġ liġþ, wē faraþ.

     Wherever the road leads, we will go.

Usage notes

• Weġ means "way" as in "path, road, direction, means to enter or leave a place." For "way" as in "method or manner of doing something, state or condition," the word used is wīse.

Declension

Declension of weġ (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	weġ	wegas
accusative	weġ	wegas
genitive	weġes	wega
dative	weġe	wegum

Derived terms

• ċiricweġ
• ealne weġ
• gangweġ
• hēafodweġ
• hēahweġ
• healfweġ
• hereweġ
• Iringes weġ
• Norþweġ
• onweġ

Descendants

• Middle English: wey, wei, weie, wai, way
  • English: way
  • Scots: wey
  • Yola: wye, waie

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *wāg, from Proto-Germanic *wēgaz.

Noun

weg m

1. wave

Inflection

Declension of weg (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	weg	wegar, wega
genitive	weges	wega
dative	wege	wegum, wegem
accusative	weg	wegar, wega

Descendants

• North Frisian: weage, waag
• West Frisian: weach

Old High German

Alternative forms

• wec

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *weg. Cognate with Old Saxon weg, Old Dutch weg, Old English weġ, Old Norse vegr, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌲𐍃 (wigs).

Noun

weg m (plural wega)

1. way

Declension

Declension of weg (masculine a-stem)

case	singular	plural
nominative	weg	wega
accusative	weg	wega
genitive	weges	wego
dative	wege	wegum
instrumental	wegu	—

Descendants

• Middle High German: wec
  • Alemannic German: Wäg
  • Bavarian:

    Cimbrian: bèg, bege (Luserna)

    Mòcheno: be

  • Central Franconian: Wääch
    • Luxembourgish: Wee (from dative and plural)
    • Hunsrik: Wegh
  • German: Weg
  • Pennsylvania German: Weg
  • Yiddish: וועג (veg)

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *weg, from Proto-Germanic *wegaz, from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-.

Germanic cognates include Old English weġ (whence modern English way), Old Dutch weg, Old High German weg, Old Norse vegr, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌲𐍃 (wigs).

Noun

weg m

1. way; path; road

Declension

Declension of weg (masculine a-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	weg	wegos
accusative	weg	wegos
genitive	weges	wegō
dative	wege	wegum
instrumental	—	—

Descendants

• Middle Low German: wech
  • Dutch Low Saxon: weg
  • German Low German: Weg
  • Plautdietsch: Wajch