Where does “ywis” come from?

ywis (Middle English) comes from Old English ġewiss, from Proto-West Germanic gawiss, from Proto-Germanic gawissaz, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.

ywis (Middle English): certain, sure; sure, certain

Definitions

  1. certain, sure; sure, certain

Ancestry of “ywis”, step by step

ywis traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English ġewiss

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

via Old English ġewis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishġewiscertain, positive, sure
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gawissaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic gawiss →