Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “wit” come from?

wit (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic wit, from Proto-Germanic *wet, from Proto-Indo-European wéy, from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ — I.

wit (Old English): we two; nominative dual of iċ

Definitions

  1. we two; nominative dual of iċ

Ancestry of “wit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-GermanicwitAlternative form of *wet
2Proto-Germanic*wet—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwéywe
4Proto-Indo-Europeanéǵh₂I

Words derived from “wit”

  • wit
  • wot
  • outwit
  • wist
  • dimwit
  • witling
  • wottest
  • wotteth
  • fuckwit
  • lackwit
  • unwit
  • wotest
  • unwist
  • underwit
  • puzzlewit
  • witwanton
  • afterwit
  • outwitter
  • diswitted
  • woteth
  • thickwit
  • witcraft
  • wistest
  • dullwit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ →