iwis

American  

[ih-wis] / ɪˈwɪs /

Or ywis

adverb

Obsolete.

1. certainly.

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iwis British  

/ ɪˈwɪs /

adverb

1. an archaic word for certainly

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Etymology

Origin of iwis

First recorded before 900; Middle English, adverb use of neuter of Old English gewiss (adjective) “certain”; cognate with Dutch gewis, German gewiss “certain, certainly”; akin to wit ²; see y-

Example Sentences

In sooth in ne'er another / country anywhere Had he so gladly lingered: / iwis it was that he, Now whensoe'er he wished it, / Kriemhild the maiden fair could see.

From The Nibelungenlied Translated into Rhymed English Verse in the Metre of the Original by Needler, George Henry

Ure feder þet in heovene is, Þet is al soþ ful iwis!

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald

This is a misinterpretation of Middle English iwis, from Old English gewis, "certainly."

From Coleridge's Ancient Mariner and Select Poems by Coleridge, Samuel Taylor

Mi fleis is wis mete. ⁊ mi blod iwis drinke ⁊ after þ̵ 150 he seið.

From Selections from early Middle English, 1130-1250 Part I: Texts by Hall, Joseph