wise

English Online Dictionary. What means wise‎? What does wise mean?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /waɪz/
• Homophones: whys, wyes, Ys, why's
• Rhymes: -aɪz

Etymology 1

From Middle English wis, wys, from Old English wīs (“wise”), from Proto-Germanic *wīsaz (“wise”), from Proto-Indo-European *weydstos, *weydtos, a participle form of *weyd-.

Cognate with Dutch wijs, German weise, Norwegian and Swedish vis. Compare wit.

Adjective

wise (comparative wiser or more wise, superlative wisest or most wise)

1. Showing good judgement or the benefit of experience.

2. (colloquial, ironic, sarcastic) Disrespectful.

3. (colloquial) Aware, informed (to something).

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:wise

Antonyms

• unwise
• foolish

Derived terms

Collocations

• wise person
• wise decision
• wise advice
• wise counsel
• wise saying
• wise deed

Translations

Verb

wise (third-person singular simple present wises, present participle wising, simple past and past participle wised)

1. To become wise.
2. (ergative, slang) Usually with "up", to inform or learn.

Etymology 2

From Middle English wise, from Old English wīse, from Proto-Germanic *wīsō. Cognate with Dutch wijze, German Weise, Norwegian vis, Swedish visa, vis, Italian guisa, Spanish guisa. Compare -wise. Doublet of guise.

Noun

wise (plural wises)

2. (archaic) Way, manner, or method.

Derived terms

• -wise
• alwise
• nowise

Etymology 3

From Middle English wisen (“to advise, direct”), from Old English wisian (“to show the way, guide, direct”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīsijan, from Proto-Germanic *wīsaną, *wīsijaną (“to show the way, dispense knowledge”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”).

Cognate with Dutch wijzen (“to indicate, point out”), German weisen (“to show, indicate”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål vise (“to show”), Norwegian Nynorsk visa (“to show”).

Verb

wise (third-person singular simple present wises, present participle wising, simple past and past participle wised)

1. (dialectal) To instruct.
2. (dialectal) To advise; induce.
3. (dialectal) To show the way, guide.
4. (dialectal) To direct the course of, pilot.
5. (dialectal) To cause to turn.

Anagrams

• Siew, wies

Middle Dutch

Contraction

wise

1. Contraction of wi se.

Middle English

Noun

wise

1. Alternative form of vice

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *wīsā, from Proto-Germanic *wīsō, *wīsaz. Cognate with Dutch wijze, German Weise, Swedish vis, Italian guisa, Spanish guisa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwiː.se/, [ˈwiː.ze]

Noun

wīse f

1. way (manner)
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "Midlent Sunday"

Usage notes

• The phrase “in ___ way” is most often used with the accusative case: Þū myndgast mē on maniġe wīsan mīnes lārēowes (“You remind me in many ways of my teacher”). In some texts, the word appears as masculine and/or is used in the dative case: on þām wīsan and on þǣre wīsan are both attested.

Declension

Weak feminine (n-stem):

Descendants

• Middle English: wise

See also

• swā
• þus

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *waisō. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weys- (“to increase”). Cognate with Old Norse vísir (“sprout, bud”), Lithuanian veisti (“propagate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwiː.se/, [ˈwiː.ze]

Noun

wīse f

1. a sprout, stalk

Declension

Weak feminine (n-stem):

Descendants

• Middle English: wise

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwiː.se/, [ˈwiː.ze]

Pronoun

wīse

1. inflection of wīs:
   1. accusative feminine singular
   2. instrumental masculine/neuter singular
   3. nominative/accusative masculine/feminine plural