Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “witen” come from?

witen (Middle English) comes from Old English wītan, from Proto-West Germanic wītan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European wóyde, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.

witen (Middle English): to accuse, reproach, punish, suspect

Definitions

  1. to accuse, reproach, punish, suspect

Ancestry of “witen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwītanto look, behold, see, guard, keep, impute or...
2Proto-West Germanicwītanto accuse, to blame
3Proto-Germanic*witaną—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwóydeto have seen, to know
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “witen”

  • wite
  • witeless
  • wyte
  • fightwite
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →