Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “witan” come from?

witan (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic wītan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European wóyde, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.

witan (Old English): to look, behold, see, guard, keep, impute or...

Definitions

  1. to look, behold, see, guard, keep, impute or...

Ancestry of “witan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicwītanto accuse, to blame
2Proto-Germanic*witaną—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwóydeto have seen, to know
4Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “witan”

  • wite
  • witeless
  • fightwite
  • wyte
  • gewitan
  • wyte
  • wite
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →