v. Obs. Forms: 1 weccan, 3 wecche, 4 wechche. Pa. t. 3 wæht(e, wehte, 3–4 weiȝt(t)e, 4 wight. [OE. węccan = OHG. wecchen (mod.G. wecken), ON. vekja, Goth. (us-)wakjan, f. root *wak-: see WAKE v.]
1. trans. To rouse from sleep. (Cf. AWECCHE v. 1.)
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., lxiv. 461. Se kok … ærðæmðe he crawan wille, hefð up his fiðru, & wecð hine selfne.
a. 900. Crist, 837 (Gr.). Englas ælbeorhte on efen blawað byman on brehtme,… weccað of deaðe dryhtgumena bearn.
c. 1205. Lay., 798. Ohtliche heom slæð on & weccheð heom of slepa.
c. 1300. St. Brandan, 446. That hi ne weiȝte noȝt the [sleeping] fisches, leste hi here schip breke.
13[?]. K. Alis., 2925. We weore aslepe, Darie us wight.
13[?]. Seuyn Sag. (W.), 1628. Thous [he] the king bigan to wechche, And saide, ‘Sire, vp! vp! hit is dai!’
2. To stir up, excite (e.g., wind, fire, passion, strife). (Cf. AWECCHE v. 2.)
Beowulf, 2046. Onginneð ʓeomormod ʓeongum cempan … wiʓbealu weccean.
c. 900. trans. Bæda’s Hist., IV. iii. (1890), 268. Forþon Drihten lyfte ontyneð, windas weceð.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 137. Ne beo þu noht … wilful to wecchen lust þar to. Ibid., 161. [The devil] weccheð among hem flite and win.
c. 1205. Lay., 16216. Þe wind wæht [c. 1275 wehte] þat fur þæt hit wunderliche born.
