wit
2
[ wit ]
/ wɪt /
verb (used with or without object), present singular 1st person wot, 2nd wost, 3rd wot, present plural wit or wite; past and past participle wist; present participle wit·ting.
Archaic.
to know.
Idioms for wit
to wit,
that is to say; namely: It was the time of the vernal equinox, to wit, the beginning of spring.
Origin of wit
2
before 900; Middle English
witen, Old English
witan; cognate with Dutch
weten, German
wissen, Old Norse
vita, Gothic
witan to know; akin to Latin
vidēre, Greek
ideîn to see, Sanskrit
vidati (he) knows. See
wot
Words nearby wit
British Dictionary definitions for to wit (1 of 2)
wit
1
/ (wɪt) /
noun
See also
wits
Word Origin for wit
Old English
witt; related to Old Saxon
giwitt, Old High German
wizzi (German
Witz), Old Norse
vit, Gothic
witi. See
wit ²
British Dictionary definitions for to wit (2 of 2)
wit
2
/ (wɪt) /
verb
archaic
to be or become aware of (something)
adverb
to wit
that is to say; namely (used to introduce statements, as in legal documents)
Word Origin for wit
Old English
witan; related to Old High German
wizzan (German
wissen), Old Norse
vita, Latin
vidēre to see
Idioms and Phrases with to wit (1 of 2)
to wit
That is to say, namely, as in There are three good reasons for not going, to wit, we don't want to, we don't have to, and we can't get a reservation. This expression comes from the now archaic verb to wit, meaning “know or be aware of,” not heard except in this usage. [Late 1500s]
Idioms and Phrases with to wit (2 of 2)
wit
see at one's wit's end; have one's wits about one; live by one's wits; scare out of one's wits; to wit.