It is descended from Old Englishwé, which was pronounced something like way in modern English. It is related to Germanwir, Dutchwij, Frisianwy, and Danishvi.
... to navigate down the Amazon River
P
William Parry[?], (born 1790), Arctic explorer
Robert Edwin Peary, (1856-1920), first man to reach the North Pole
Auguste Piccard, ...