wit 1  (w ĭt)
Share:
n. 1. a. The natural ability to perceive and understand; intelligence. b. often wits Practical intelligence; shrewdness or resourcefulness: living by one's wits. c. wits Sound mental faculties; sanity: scared out of my wits. d. Archaic A person of exceptional intelligence. 2. a. The ability to express oneself intelligently in a playful or humorous manner, often in overturning audience expectations: a writer with a scintillating wit. b. A person noted for this ability, especially in conversation: “My mother, the family wit and teaser, knew better than to joke about the disaster” (Donald Hall). c. Intelligent playfulness or humor in expression, as in speech, writing, or art: novels known for their wit and inventiveness. Idioms: at (one's) wits' end At the limit of one's mental resources; utterly at a loss. have (or keep)(one's) wits about (one)To remain alert or calm, especially in a crisis.
[Middle English, from Old English; see weid- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
wit 2  (w ĭt)
Share:
v. wist (wĭst), wit·ting (wĭtĭng), first and third person singular present tense wot (wŏt) Archaic v.tr. To be or become aware of; learn. Idiom: to wit That is to say; namely.
|
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
This website is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. Some characters in pronunciations and etymologies cannot be displayed properly in Internet Explorer.