Where does “wisdom” come from?

Wisdom derives from Old English wīsdōm, from Proto-Germanic wīsadōmaz, from Proto-Germanic wīsaz and Proto-Indo-European dʰóh₁mos, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root dʰeh₁- meaning to place or put.

wisdom (English): An element of personal character that enables one...

Definitions

  1. An element of personal character that enables one...

Ancestry of “wisdom”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwisdomwisdom
2Old Englishwīsdōmwisdom
3Proto-Germanicwīsadōmazwise judgement, wisdom
4Proto-Germanicwīsazwise, knowledgeable
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweydstosknowledgeable
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “wisdom”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European weydstos →Every word from Proto-Germanic wīsaz →