Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “wīs” come from?

wīs (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic wīsaz, from Proto-Indo-European weydstos, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.

wīs (Old English): wise

Definitions

  1. wise

Ancestry of “wīs”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicwīsazwise, knowledgeable
2Proto-Indo-Europeanweydstosknowledgeable
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “wīs”

  • wise
  • wiser
  • wis
  • wiss
  • wisecrack
  • wiseass
  • worldlywise
  • somewise
  • pennywise
  • wisecracker
  • workwise
  • wisen
  • wisenheimer
  • wisehead
  • airwise
  • wisecracky
  • penny-wise
  • way-wise
  • weather-wise
  • copwise
  • cop-wise
  • wise man
  • wiseling
  • afterwise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →