Where does “fōrewitan” come from?

fōrewitan (Old 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.

fōrewitan (Old English): to foreknow

Definitions

  1. to foreknow

Ancestry of “fōrewitan”, step by step

fōrewitan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English wītan

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

via Old English fore

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishforebefore; forepart, front
2Proto-Germanicfuraibefore, in front of; before, in front
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
4Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “fōrewitan”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wóyde →Every word from Proto-Germanic *witaną →