Where does “wîs” come from?
wîs (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon wīs, from Proto-Germanic wīsaz, from Proto-Indo-European weydstos, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.
Ancestry of “wîs”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | wīs | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | wīsaz | wise, knowledgeable |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | weydstos | knowledgeable |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |