Etymology

atwite

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Today it means: To blame or reproach (someone); to twit. Full definition →

Middle English atwiten ← Old English ætwītan ← Proto-Germanic *wītaną
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*weyd-“to see”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wītaną“to punish; to torment; to know; to see”
  3. Old English · inherited fromætwītan“to blame, reproach; to censure, upbraid; to taunt”
  4. Middle English · inherited fromatwiten“to attribute (something) to someone; to blame (something) on someone; to accuse or charge (someone) with something; to speak ill of; to taunt”
  5. English todayatwite

PIE word *h₂éd From Middle English atwiten (“to attribute (something) to someone; to blame (something) on someone; to accuse or charge (someone) with something; to speak ill of; to taunt”), from Old English ætwītan (“to blame, reproach; to censure, upbraid; to taunt”), from æt- (prefix meaning ‘at, near; toward’) + wītan (“to accuse; to blame, reproach”) (from Proto-Germanic *wītaną (“to punish; to torment; to know; to see”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see”)). The English word is analysable as at- + wite.

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishatwiten all →

twit

Old Englishætwītan all →

twit

Proto-Germanic*wītaną all →

guideguywittwitwitewist

Proto-Indo-European*weyd- all →

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Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.