Where does “wis” come from?
wis (Middle English) comes from Middle English iwis, from Old English ġewiss, from Proto-West Germanic gawiss, from Proto-Germanic gawissaz, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.
wis (Middle English): certain, sure
Ancestry of “wis”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | iwis | certain, sure |
| 2 | Old English | ġewiss | certain, sure; certainly, indeed |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | gawiss | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gawissaz | certain, sure; known |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |