Meaning

1 senses

  1. To know, be aware of (constructed with of when used intransitively).

    You committed terrible actions — to wit, murder and theft — and should be punished accordingly.

    They are meddling in matters that men should not wit of.

Examples

122 sentences

  1. I admire his wit.

    Я захоплююся його дотепністю. — Ahha

    ruЯ восхищаюсь его остроумием. — sharptoothed

    sharptoothed · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. Tom is quick-witted, isn't he?

    ruТом смышлёный, не так ли? — odexed

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. Tom was at his wit's end.

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Tom was scared out of his wits.

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. Does Tom seem dim-witted to you?

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Origin

From Middle English witen, woten, from Old English weotan, witan, from Proto-West Germanic

From Middle English witen, woten, from Old English weotan, witan, from Proto-West Germanic *witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde (“to know”), from *weyd- (“to see”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

wits, witting, witted, witted
Base formwit · to wit
3rd person singularwits
Present participlewitting
Past simplewitted
Past participlewitted

regular

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theywit
he, she, itwits

Past simpleLesson

all personswitted

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave witted
he, she, ithas witted

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill wit

Word family

4 related words
DerivedwitnessB1bewitto witunwitting

Lessons for this word

1 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
wispwisteriawistfulC2wistfullyC2witchwitchcraftwitcher
wit — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto