Etymology

wist

W4I1S1T1

Today it means: To know, be aware of. Full definition →

Old English witan ← Proto-Germanic *witaną ← Proto-Indo-European *weyd-
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wist · verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*weyd-“see, know”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*witaną
  3. Old English · inherited fromwitan
  4. English todaywist

Past indicative of wit: from Old English witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“see, know”). Cognate with Dutch weten, German wissen, Swedish veta, and Latin videō (“to see”). Compare guide.

wist · verb2

A misunderstanding, or a joking use of the past indicative of wit; see Etymology 1.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishwitan all →

wotwitewitan

Proto-Germanic*witaną all →

guideguywittwitwiteatwite

Proto-Indo-European*weyd- all →

historyguideideawaitwiseprudenceguisewittertwitpurveyorwitewisseatwiteiwisunwisdom

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.