wit

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The ability to say clever, funny things quickly.

   Her quick wit had the whole room laughing within minutes.

2. 2
   noun

   The ability to think clearly and make good decisions, especially under pressure.

   He kept his wits about him and steered the car safely off the road.

3. 3
   noun

   A person who is clever and funny.

   Your friend is quite a wit, isn't he?

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Wit comes from Old English and is related to wise and wisdom. All three descend from an ancient root meaning “to know.”

From Middle English witen, from Old English witan, from Proto-West Germanic *witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“see, know”). Cognate with North Frisian waase, wed, weet (“to know”), Saterland Frisian wíete (“to know”), West Frisian wite, witte (“to know”), Alemannic German wüsse (“to know”), Cimbrian bizzan (“to know”), Dutch, Low German weten (“to know”), German wissen (“to know”), Luxembourgish wëssen (“to know”), Yiddish וויסן (visn, “to know”), Danish vide (“to know”), Elfdalian witå (“to know”), Faroese, Icelandic vita (“to know”), Jutish veer (“to know”…

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External links

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