witen

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch wītan, from Proto-Germanic *wītaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwiːtən/

Verb

witen

1. to blame, to hold accountable
2. to cause harm

Inflection

Descendants

• Dutch: wijten
• Limburgish: wiete

Further reading

• “witen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “witen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wete, weten, wetyn, wite, witenn, witten, wyett, wyt, wyte, wyten
• woten

Etymology

From Old English witan, weotan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“see, know”). Cognate with Dutch weten, German wissen, and Swedish veta.

Verb

witen (third-person singular simple present woot, present participle witynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative wiste, past participle witen)

1. to know (a fact with certainty):

   god wot ― God only knows

2. to be aware (of a situation, fact, etc.):
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, published c. 1410, Joon 15:18, page 51v; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     if þe woꝛld hatiþ ȝou .· wite me þat it hadde me in hate raþer þan ȝou /

     If the world hates you, be aware that it had me hating it before you did.

   1. to have a full understanding (of something)
   2. to be aware (of someone's location)
3. to recognise; to comprehend (something):
   1. to perceive; to notice (something)
   2. to discern; to distinguish (something from another)
4. to experience, to be familiar with (something):

   for ought ich wot ― as far as I know

   1. to know (to do, to say)
   2. to know how (to do)
   3. to know (that something will happen)
5. to know about (a topic)
6. to find out; to become aware
7. to ask; to question
8. to be confident (something is the case or will happen)
9. (rare) to make known

Conjugation

Descendants

• English: wit, weet
• Scots: wit

References

• “witen, v.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.