different between wist vs wis

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?st

Etymology 1

Past indicative of wit: from Old English witan, from Proto-Germanic *witan?, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“see, know”). Cognate with Dutch weten, German wissen, Swedish veta, and Latin vide? (“I see”). Compare guide.

Verb

wist

1. (archaic) simple past tense and past participle of wit
   • a1796, Robert Burns, "Bonie Jean: A Ballad", in Poems and Songs, P.F. Collier & Son (1909–14), Bartleby.com (2001), [1],

     And lang ere witless Jeanie wist, / Her heart was tint, her peace was stown!

   • 1837 Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History

     Did the maledicent Bodyguard, getting (as was too inevitable) better malediction than he gave, load his musketoon, and threaten to fire; and actually fire? Were wise who wist!

Etymology 2

A misunderstanding, or a joking use of the past indicative of wit: from Old English witan, from Proto-Germanic *witan?, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“see, know”). Cognate with Dutch weten, German wissen, Swedish veta, and Latin vide? (“I see”). Compare guide.

Verb

wist (third-person singular simple present wists, present participle wisting, simple past and past participle wisted)

1. (nonstandard, pseudo-archaic) To know, be aware of.

Usage notes

• This use of wist was never a part of the regular English language; rather, it resulted from the erroneous attempted use of archaisms.

Anagrams

• WITs, WSIT, wits

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?st

Verb

wist

1. singular past indicative of weten
2. second- and third-person singular present indicative of wissen
3. (archaic) plural imperative of wissen

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wist/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *wistiz (“essence”).

Noun

wist f

1. being, existence
2. well-being

Declension

Derived terms

• andwist
• midwist
• samodwist

Descendants

• Middle English: wiste, wyste

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *wistiz (“food”).

Noun

wist f

1. provisions, food
2. feast, meal
3. delicacy
4. abundance, plenty

Declension

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wa?s/
• Rhymes: -a?s

Alternative forms

• wiss, ywis, iwis

Etymology 1

From Middle English wis (“certain, sure”), from an aphetic form of Middle English iwis, ywis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ?ewiss (“certain, sure”)), or of North Germanic origin, akin to Icelandic viss (“certain”). Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gawissaz. More at iwis.

Adverb

wis (comparative more wis, superlative most wis)

1. (rare, obsolete or dialectal) Certainly, surely
   • 1884, Charlotte Mary Yonge, The armourer's prentices:

     So I wis would the Dragon under him [...]

2. (rare, obsolete or dialectal) Really, truly
3. (rare, obsolete or dialectal) Indeed
   • c. 1368-1372, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Book of the Duchess

   As wis God help me.

Adjective

wis (comparative more wis, superlative most wis)

1. (rare, obsolete or dialectal) Certain
2. (rare, obsolete or dialectal) Sure

   He was wis on his word.

   I am wis that it will happen.

Derived terms

• wisly

Etymology 2

From an incorrect division, mistaking iwis (“certain”) for I wis (“I know”). See ywis for more information. The German verb wissen appears similar, but in fact corresponds etymologically to the English verb wit; both of those verbs ultimately descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root as this one.

Verb

wis (third-person singular simple present wis, no present participle, no simple past, past participle wist or wissed)

1. (obsolete or archaic) To know.
   • 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act II, Scene ix^[1]:

     "The fire seven times tried this:

     Seven times tried that judgement is,

     That did never choose amiss.

     Some there be that shadows kiss:

     Such have but a shadow's bliss.

     There be fools alive, I wis,

     Silver'd o'er; and so was this.

     I will ever be your head:

     So be gone: you are sped."

2. (obsolete or archaic) To think, suppose.
   • 1850, Robert Browning, Easter Day

   Howe'er you wis.

3. (obsolete or archaic) To imagine, ween; to deem.
   • 1797-1816, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Christabel

   Nor do I know how long it is (For I have lain entranced, I wis).

Anagrams

• WSI

Afrikaans

Verb

wis

1. preterite of weet; knew

Chuukese

Noun

wis

1. duty, responsibility

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *wissaz, past participle of *witan?. See gewis.

Adjective

wis (not comparable)

1. sure, certain

   een wisse dood — a certain death

Inflection

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch wisch, from Old Dutch *wisk, from Proto-Germanic *wiskaz (“bundle of straw, hay”).

Noun

wis f or m (plural wissen, diminutive wisje n)

1. twig
2. bundle, bunch
3. short for wisdoek (dishcloth)

Etymology 3

Verb

wis

1. first-person singular present indicative of wissen
2. imperative of wissen

Gothic

Romanization

wis

1. Romanization of ????????????

Javanese

Adverb

wis

1. already

Kabyle

Particle

wis (feminine tis)

1. -th, forms ordinal numerals by preceding a cardinal numeral

   ?wis (“-th”) + ?kra? (“three”) ? ?wis kra? (“third”)

   ?wis (“-th”) + ?xemsa (“five”) ? ?wis xemsa (“fifth”)

Usage notes

• The particle agrees in gender with its associated noun. If this noun is feminine, the particle has a feminine form tis.
• The particle may be used before both native Kabyle numerals and Arabic-derived numerals.
• The particle is not used before yiwen (“one”). The adjective amezwaru (“first”) is used instead of such an ordinal.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *w?saz, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, to know”).

Adjective

w?s

1. wise

Inflection

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: wijs

Further reading

• “w?s”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *w?saz, from Proto-Indo-European *weydstos (“knowledgeable”), an extension of *weyd- (“to see, to know”). Akin to Old High German w?s and Old Norse víss.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wi?s/

Adjective

w?s

1. wise

Declension

Derived terms

• andw?s
• stæfw?s
• unw?s
• w?sl??e
• w?snes

Descendants

• Middle English: wis, wys
  • Scots: wis, wise
  • English: wise
    • ? English: wizard

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *w?saz, from Proto-Indo-European *weydstos (“knowledgeable”), an extension of *weyd- (“to see, to know”). Akin to Old English w?s and Old Norse víss.

Adjective

w?s

1. wise

Descendants

• Middle High German: w?se
  • German: weise
• ? Old High German: w?si

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *w?saz, from Proto-Indo-European *weydstos (“knowledgeable”), an extension of *weyd- (“to see, to know”). Akin to Old English w?s, Old High German w?s and Old Norse víss.

Adjective

w?s

1. wise

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: w?s
  • Low German:
    • German Low German: wies
    • Westphalian:

      Ravensbergisch-Lippisch: wuise, wuis

      Sauerländisch: weyse, wüse, w?se, wuise

      Westmünsterländisch: wiese

  • Plautdietsch: weis

Scots

Etymology

Compare West Frisian wie.

Verb

wis

1. simple past tense of be

Usage notes

Wis is used with singular pronouns and plural nouns, and wis, war or wir are used with plural pronouns.

See also

• wir

West Frisian

Etymology

See witte (“to know, be sure”). Related to English wis.

Adjective

wis

1. certain, sure
2. true
3. safe, trustworthy

Inflection

Derived terms

• jawis

Further reading

• “wis (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011