Where does “bilewit” come from?
bilewit (Middle English) comes from Old English bilewit, from Proto-Germanic biliwit-, from Proto-Germanic witją, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European wóyde, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.
bilewit (Middle English): simple, innocent
Ancestry of “bilewit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | bilewit | innocent, simple; calm, gentle; merciful,... |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | biliwit- | gentle-minded |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |