wight

wight \wahyt\, adjective:

1. active; nimble.
2. strong and brave, especially in war.

noun:
1. a human being.
2. Obsolete. a. a supernatural being, as a witch or sprite. b. any living being; a creature.

Sir William of Deloraine, good at need / Mount thee on thy wightest steed; / Spare not to spur nor stint or ride / Until thou come to fair Tweedside…
-- Sir Walter Scott, The Lay of the Lady Minstrel, 1805

But if there happen to be an unduly slender, clumsy, or timorous wightin the ship, that wight is certain to be made a ship-keeper.
-- Herman Melville, Moby Dick; or, The Whale, 1851

Wight is related to the Old Norse word vīgr which meant "able to fight."