-joke

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-witz is a Germanized, originally Slavic suffix in place names and family names derived from them .

The ending -witz (Polish -owice, Serbian -ovići ) is a suffix connection with -itz and occurs in Germany especially with originally Sorbian (there also -fitz, -vitz, -pitz ) and Polabian as well as with other Slavic place names . It originally had a patronymic function, i.e. it refers to the founder of the place or at least an important person who gave the place its name. Katowitz, for example, is to be analyzed as a personal name Kat plus the suffix -owice and means “(among) those belonging to Kat; the people of Kat ”. -witz has the same functions as the Germanic suffix -ing (en) .

-Witz is most widespread today in Saxony , Brandenburg and in the east of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia . In the past, the ending was also widespread in all other German-speaking areas of Central and East Central Europe ( Prussia , Silesia , Bohemia , Moravia and Romania )

Examples

Auschwitz , Bannewitz , Bennewitz , Stauchitz -Bloßwitz, Crostwitz , Czernowitz , Gleiwitz , Kattowitz , Leipzig- Connewitz , Lössewitz , Thesenvitz , Dresden- Blasewitz , - Wachwitz and - Tolkewitz , Stauchitz-Wilschwitz, Freital- Wurgwitz , Zinnowitz .

literature

  • German book of place names. Edited by Manfred Niemeyer. De Gruyter, Berlin / Boston 2012, ISBN 978-3-11-018908-7 . - See here besides the respective place names also the article -itz (p. 293).