iwis

I1W4I1S1
/ɪˈwɪs//ˈiːwiz/

adverb

Certainly, surely, indeed.

OriginMiddle English iwis, iwys, ywis ← Old English ġewiss ← Proto-West Germanic *gawiss →
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Meanings

iwis1

adverbiwis (not comparable)

alternative iwys · alternative ywis · alternative y-wis

  1. archaicnot comparablepoeticCertainly, surely, indeed.

    God vanished long ago, iwis, A mere subjective synthesis

    1890, James Russell Lowell, Poetical Works
    1 more example

    Iwis, in all the Senate There was no heart so bold[…].

    1842, Thomas Macaulay, Horatius

iwis2

noun

alternative iwys · alternative ywis · alternative y-wis

  1. pluralplural of iwi

Origin

iwis · adverb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*weyd-“to know”
  2. Proto-Germanic*gawissaz“known, certain, sure”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*gawiss
  4. Old Englishġewiss“certain, sure”
  5. Middle Englishiwis, iwys, ywis“certain, sure”
  6. Englishiwis

From Middle English iwis, iwys, ywis (“certain, sure”), from Old English ġewiss (“certain, sure”), from Proto-West Germanic *gawiss, from Proto-Germanic *gawissaz (“known, certain, sure”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”). Cognate with Dutch gewis (“sure”), German gewiss (“certain”), Danish vis (“sure”). More at wit, wis.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

iwis · noun

Plural formed with the suffix -s.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

iwis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iwis

MLA

“iwis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iwis. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “iwis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iwis.

Source: iwis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.