Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wiseness” come from?

wiseness (English) comes from Middle English wisnesse, from Old English wīsnes, from Old English -nes, from Proto-West Germanic -nassī, from Proto-Germanic -inassuz, from Proto-West Germanic -ī, from Proto-Germanic -į̄, from Proto-Indo-European -íh₂ — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

wiseness (English): The state, quality, or measure of being wise;...

Definitions

  1. The state, quality, or measure of being wise;...

Ancestry of “wiseness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwisnesse—
2Old Englishwīsnesteaching, wisdom
3Old English-nesUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
4Proto-West Germanic-nassīUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
5Proto-Germanic-inassuz-ness
6Proto-West Germanic-ī-ness, -th
7Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
8Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
9Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →