Where does “iwis” come from?

iwis (English) comes from Middle English iwis, from Old English ġewiss, from Proto-West Germanic gawiss, from Proto-Germanic gawissaz, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.

iwis (English): Certainly, surely, indeed

Definitions

  1. Certainly, surely, indeed

Ancestry of “iwis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishiwiscertain, sure
2Old Englishġewisscertain, sure; certainly, indeed
3Proto-West Germanicgawisscertain, sure
4Proto-Germanicgawissazcertain, sure; known
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gawissaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic gawiss →