Where does “wit” come from?
wit (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch wīt, from Proto-Germanic wit, from Proto-Germanic *wet, from Proto-Indo-European wéy, from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ — I.
wit (Middle Dutch): white; clean; pale
Ancestry of “wit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | wīt | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | wit | Alternative form of *wet |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *wet | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wéy | we |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |