wis

wis · adverb, adjective¹

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*gawissaz
2. North Germanic · derived from
3. Old English · inherited fromġewiss“certain, sure”
4. Middle English · inherited fromwis“certain, sure”
5. English todaywis

Inherited from Middle English wis (“certain, sure”), from an aphetic form of Middle English iwis, ywis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewiss (“certain, sure”)), or of North Germanic origin, cognate with Icelandic viss (“certain, sure”), Dutch gewis (“certain, sure”), and German gewiss (“certain, sure”). Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gawissaz. More at iwis.

wis · verb²

From an incorrect division, mistaking iwis (“certain”) for I wis (“I know”). See ywis for more information. The German verb wissen may appear similar, but in fact corresponds etymologically to the English verb wit; both of those verbs ultimately descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root as this one.

wis · noun³

Clipping of wisdom.

Words from the same roots