Where does “wīten” come from?
wīten (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.
wīten (Middle English): to accuse, reproach, punish, suspect
Definitions
- to accuse, reproach, punish, suspect
Ancestry of “wīten”, step by step
wīten traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English wītan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | wītan | to look, behold, see, guard, keep, impute or... |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | wītan | to accuse, to blame |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |
via Old English weotan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | weotan | — |