Etymologically
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advise

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:48. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ədˈvaɪz/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English avisen, borrowed from Old French aviser (“to look at, consider, reflect”),[2][3][4] from avis, opinion (see advice),[2][3] from the phrase ço m'est à vis, it seems to me, or Vulgar Latin *mi est visum, in my view,[2] ultimately from Latin vīsum, the past participle of vidēre (“to see”);[2][5] NODE derives it from Latin ad- and vīsere, to look at.[5] The spelling with d, after Latin, replaced avisen in the late 15th century.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To look at, view, consider: 1297 in the OED, the late 13th century in Etymonline; obsolete.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

NODE notes that the original senses included to look at and consider, hence to consult with others.[5] To examine, find out, decide or devise are senses of about 1300.[3][6] To give counsel to is from the late 14th century.[2] To inform or notify is a formal sense,[7][8] and advise with, to consult, is chiefly American or obsolete,[8] though it survived in Scots and Yorkshire dialect.[9] Adviser is from 1611, and the later advisor a back-formation from advisory (1778) or from Late Latin advisor.[3]

Timeline

  • 1297 – to look at (obsolete).[6]
  • c. 1300 – to examine, consider.[3]
  • late 14th century – to counsel.[2]
  • late 15th century – spelling advise.[3]
  • 1611 – adviser.[3]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To give advice to; to counsel.
  2. To recommend: to advise caution.
  3. (formal) To inform or notify.
  4. (advise with, chiefly US) To consult.

Word family

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)