-wich

suffix

Village; settlement; hamlet; trading centre.

OriginMiddle English wic ← Old English wīc ← Latin vīcus →
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Meanings

-wich1

suffix

alternative -wick

  1. Village; settlement; hamlet; trading centre.

-wich2

suffix

alternative -wick

  1. Brine spring; well.

-wich3

suffix
  1. cookingSandwich.

Origin

-wich · suffix

  1. Proto-Indo-European*weyḱ-“village, household”
  2. Latinvīcus“village”
  3. Old Englishwīc“abode, dwelling-place”
  4. Middle Englishwic
  5. English-wich

From Middle English wic, from Old English wīc (“abode, dwelling-place”), an early borrowing from Latin vīcus (“village”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- (“village, household”). Latin cognate to Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃 (weihs), Old High German weihs (“village, settlement”), from Proto-Germanic *wīhsą (“village, settlement”) of the same Proto-Indo-European root. Cognate to Dutch wijk (“neighbourhood”), and may replace it in borrowings. A related form with similar origin is Icelandic vík.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Latin

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-wich · suffix

  1. Old Englishwīċ“bay”
  2. English-wich

From Old English wīċ (“bay”).

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-wich · suffix

Back-formation from sandwich.

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Cite this entry
APA

-wich. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-wich

MLA

“-wich.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-wich. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-wich,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-wich.

Source: -wich on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.