Where does “keen-witted” come from?
keen-witted (English) comes from English keen, from Irish caoin, from Middle Irish caín, from Old Irish caín, from Proto-Celtic *kanis — nice, good.
keen-witted (English): quickwitted
Ancestry of “keen-witted”, step by step
keen-witted traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English keen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | keen | Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and... |
| 2 | Irish | caoin | smooth, delicate, polished; kind, gentle,... |
| 3 | Middle Irish | caín | smooth finished side; "especially" the outer... |
| 4 | Old Irish | caín | fine, good; fair, beautiful |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | *kanis | nice, good |
via English witted
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | witted | having a specified form of wit; simple past tense... |
| 2 | Middle English | witted | having intelligence or understanding |
Words derived from “keen-witted”