to wit

Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

to wit

Thursday night’s affair was an exercise in affirmation, underscoring much of what we’ve already grasped, to wit:

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2023

As we wrap up the year, I’ve got a few random recommendations for 2022 crime books I read this year that didn’t make it into previous columns, to wit:

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2022

To Virginia’s first U.S. senator, retaining royal prerogatives in the American presidency disabled the “three legged Stool” of coequal branches, to wit, “if one leg is longer than another, the Stool will not stand.”

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2018

I have always admired Masha's insights and writing skills, but believe that she needs to return to the basic journalistic driver and narrative to wit: What are Putin's goals here, really?

From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2018

Of these humors there are four: to wit, first, blood; next, phlegm; third, choler; and fourth, melancholy; and this is part of the description of each.

From The English Novel And the Principle of its Development by Lanier, Sidney

Related Words

• especially
• i.e.
• particularly
• specially
• specifically