DEFINITIONS

wit

2
[ wit ]
/ wɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR wit ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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Words related to wit

particularly, especially, specifically, specially, i.e., videlicet, expressly, scilicet

Words nearby wit

wist, wister, wisteria, wistful, wisła, wit, witan, witblits, witch, witch alder, witch ball

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for to wit (1 of 2)

wit1
/ (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)

wit2
/ (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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.