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

Definitions

  1. certain, sure

Ancestry of “wis”, step by step

wis traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English iwis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishiwiscertain, sure
2Old Englishġewisscertain, sure; certainly, indeed
3Proto-West Germanicgawisscertain, sure
4Proto-Germanicgawissazcertain, sure; known
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

via Old English wīs

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwīswise
2Proto-Germanicwīsazwise, knowledgeable
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweydstosknowledgeable

Words derived from “wis”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gawissaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic gawiss →