þikkwī (Proto-West Germanic)

Where does "þikkwī" come from?

The Proto-West Germanic adjective 'þikkwī' meaning 'thick' evolved from the earlier Proto-Germanic term 'þekuz'[1]. This Germanic root traces back to the Proto-Indo-European adjective 'tégus' meaning 'thick'[2]. Scholars derive 'tégus' from the root 'teg-' meaning 'to cover' combined with the Caland system suffix '-us'[3]. In the development of the West Germanic form, the base 'þekuz' was augmented by the adjective suffix '-ī' to produce 'þikkwī'[1].

Open questions

The Proto-Indo-European reconstruction 'tégus' is based on the root 'teg-' which remains an inferred formation. [3]
The exact application of the Caland system to the root 'teg-' is a proposed model for the formation of 'tégus'. [3]

Full etymology tree

*þikkwī (Proto-West Germanic), 'thick'
- derived *þekuz (Proto-Germanic), 'thick'
  - inherited *tégus (Proto-Indo-European), 'thick'
    - derived *teg- (Proto-Indo-European)
    - affix *-us (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms adjectives from Caland system roots.'
- affix *-ī (Proto-West Germanic), '-ness, -th. Forms abstract nouns from adjectives which represent the state, quality or measure of the adjective.'

Ancestors

*þekuz (Proto-Germanic)
*-ī (Proto-West Germanic)

Descendants and derived words

þicce (Old English)
dicchi (Old High German)
dicchi (Old High German)
thikki (Old Saxon)
*þikkwīnassī (Proto-West Germanic)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris