wise
English has two words spelled wise: the adjective “having good judgement” and the old noun “way, manner”, now mainly in compounds such as likewise.[1][2] They go back to the same root.[1][3]
Pronunciation
- IPA: /waɪz/[4]
wise1 sage
Etymology
It is inherited from Middle English wis, inherited from Old English wīs (“learned, wise, sane, prudent, experienced”),[5][1] from Proto-Germanic *wīsaz,[1][2] also the source of Old Frisian and Old Saxon wīs, Dutch wijs, German weise, Old Norse víss and Gothic -weis.[5][1] It is from the past-participle form *wittos of Proto-Indo-European *weid- (“to see; to know”),[5][2] and is related to Old English witan “to know”, the source of wit.[1][5] It is related to wisdom and witness.[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Having sound judgement: about 725 in Barnhart, in Beowulf.[1] In Old English it also meant learned, cunning, sane and experienced.[5]
Semantic evolution
Middle English used it of skill in a trade or in war, and a hound good at tracking by scent was wise of nese.[5] Informed or aware, as in none the wiser, is from the 12th century.[2] Wiseacre (1595) is from Middle Dutch wijssegger “soothsayer”, by association with wise.[1] Get wise is by 1896, wise up by 1905,[5] and wisecrack from 1915–1924, American English.[1] The American wise guy is late 19th century,[3] and also a member of the Mafia since the 1970s.[3] Streetwise is mid 20th century.[3]
Timeline
- c. 725 – having good judgement.[1]
- 1595 – wiseacre.[1]
- late 19th century – wise guy.[3]
- 1896 – get wise.[5]
- 1905 – wise up.[5]
- 1915 – wisecrack.[1]
Modern meaning
Adjective
- Having or showing good judgement and experience.
- Sensible or prudent: a wise decision.
- Having great knowledge; learned.
- wise to: aware of, especially of something dishonest.
Verb
- wise up: to become or make aware of the truth.
Word family
- wisely
- wisdom
- wiseacre
- wisecrack
- streetwise
wise2 manner
Etymology
It is inherited from Middle English wise, inherited from Old English wīse (“way, manner, custom; condition”),[5][1][2] from Proto-Germanic *wīsō, “appearance, form, manner”,[5][2] also the source of Old Saxon wīsa, Dutch wijze, German Weise and Old Norse -vís.[5][1] It comes from the same root as the adjective;[1][2] Etymonline compares Greek eîdos “form, shape, kind” for the sense change from “seeing” to “way of proceeding”.[5][6] It is related to guise.[1]
Earliest recorded meaning
Way of proceeding, manner: about 725 in Barnhart, in Beowulf.[1] Old English wīse also meant a melody.[7][6]
Semantic evolution
The noun is now archaic outside phrases such as in no wise and in this wise.[8][9] It is most common as the element -wise, used to form adverbs since Old English, as in likewise, lengthwise (late 16th century) and clockwise (late 19th century).[5][3]
Timeline
Modern meaning
Noun
- (archaic) Way or manner: in no wise, in this wise.
Word family
- likewise
- otherwise
- clockwise
- lengthwise
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d e f g Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins