wit
- wit
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wit (
n.) "
mental capacity,"
O.E. wit, more commonly
gewit, from
P.Gmc. *witjan (
Cf. O.S. wit,
O.N. vit,
Dan. vid,
Swed. vett,
O.Fris. wit,
O.H.G. wizzi "
knowledge, understanding, intelligence, mind,"
Ger. Witz "
wit, witticism, joke,"
Goth. unwiti "
ignorance"), from
PIE *woid-/*weid-/*wid- "
to see," metaphorically "
to know" (see
VISION (
Cf. vision)). Related to
O.E. witan "
to know" (source of
WIT (
Cf. wit) (
v.)). Meaning "
ability to make clever remarks in an amusing way" is first recorded 1540s; that of "
person of wit or learning" is from late 15c. For nuances of usage, see
HUMOR (
Cf. humor).
A witty saying proves nothing. [Voltaire, Diner du Comte de Boulainvilliers]
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wit (
v.) "
know,"
O.E. witan "
to know," from
P.Gmc. *witanan "
to have seen," hence "
to know" (
Cf. O.S. witan,
O.N. vita,
O.Fris. wita,
M.Du.,
Du. weten,
O.H.G. wizzan,
Ger. wissen,
Goth. witan "
to know"); see
WIT (
Cf. wit) (
n.). The phrase
to wit, almost the only surviving use of the verb, is first recorded 1570s, from earlier
that is to wit (mid-14c.), probably a loan-translation of
Anglo-Fr. cestasavoir, used to render
L. videlicet (see
VIZ. (
Cf. viz.)).
Etymology dictionary.
2014.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
Wit — Wit, n. [AS. witt, wit; akin to OFries. wit, G. witz, OHG. wizz[=i], Icel. vit, Dan. vid, Sw. vett. [root]133. See {Wit}, v.] [1913 Webster] 1. Mind; intellect; understanding; sense. [1913 Webster] Who knew the wit of the Lord? or who was his… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Wit — is a form of intellectual humour. A wit (person) is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include: the quip and the repartee. Forms of wit As in the wit of Parker s set, the Algonquin Round Table, witty remarks may be… … Wikipedia
wit — [wıt] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(amusing)¦ 2¦(amusing person)¦ 3 wits 4 frighten/scare/terrify somebody out of their wits 5 gather/collect/recover etc your wits 6 pit your wits against somebody 7 be at your wits end 8 have the wit to do something 9 not be… … Dictionary of contemporary English
wit — n 1 intelligence, brain, *mind, intellect, soul, psyche Analogous words: *reason, understanding, intuition: comprehension, apprehension (see under APPREHEND): sagaciousness or sagacity, perspicaciousness or perspicacity (see corresponding… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
wit — [ wıt ] noun * 1. ) singular or uncount the ability to use words in a clever way to make people laugh: He is a man of great wit, sensitivity, and passion. a dry/biting/acerbic/caustic wit (=the tendency to say clever and slightly cruel things):… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
WIT — steht für: Wit, ein Fluss in Bulgarien Wit ist der Name folgender Personen: Antoni Wit (* 1944), polnischer Dirigent Piet de Wit (Radsportler) (* 1946), niederländischer Radrennfahrer Piet de Wit (Unternehmer) (1869–1947), niederländischer… … Deutsch Wikipedia
wit — wit1 [wit] n. [ME < OE, akin to Ger witz: for IE base see WISE1] 1. Obs. the mind 2. [pl.] a) powers of thinking and reasoning; intellectual and perceptive powers b) mental faculties with respect to their state of balance, esp. in their normal … English World dictionary
Wit — (w[i^]t), v. t. & i. [inf. (To) {Wit}; pres. sing. {Wot}; pl. {Wite}; imp. {Wist(e)}; p. p. {Wist}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wit(t)ing}. See the Note below.] [OE. witen, pres. ich wot, wat, I know (wot), imp. wiste, AS. witan, pres. w[=a]t, imp. wiste,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Wit — (w[i^]t), v. t. & i. [inf. (To) {Wit}; pres. sing. {Wot}; pl. {Wite}; imp. {Wist(e)}; p. p. {Wist}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wit(t)ing}. See the Note below.] [OE. witen, pres. ich wot, wat, I know (wot), imp. wiste, AS. witan, pres. w[=a]t, imp. wiste,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
WIT — is:* The ticker symbol for Wipro Technologies, India.* The timezone Waktu Indonesia Timur, covering eastern IndonesiaPerformance groups abbreviated WIT:* Washington Improv Theater of Washington, DC, USA. * Wellington Improvisation Troupe in… … Wikipedia
Wit — (logiciel) wit est un logiciel libre écrit en Python fournissant une interface Web pour le système de gestion de versions git. Voir aussi gitweb écrit en Perl git php écrit en PHP Liens externes Wit au travail (sources du noyau Linux) Ce document … Wikipédia en Français
