Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “wīsheit” come from?

wīsheit (Middle High German) comes from Old High German wīsheit, from Old High German wis, from Proto-Germanic wīsaz, from Proto-Indo-European weydstos, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.

Ancestry of “wīsheit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanwīsheit—
2Old High Germanwiswise
3Proto-Germanicwīsazwise, knowledgeable
4Proto-Indo-Europeanweydstosknowledgeable
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “wīsheit”

  • Weisheit
  • Binsenweisheit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →