witan
English edit
Etymology edit
Learned borrowing from Old English witan, plural of wita (“wise man”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
witan (plural witans)
- The Anglo-Saxon national council or witenagemot.
- 1833, S. A. Dunham, Europe in the Middle Ages, Green & Longman, page 48:
- But in estimating the powers of the witan, we must not lose sight of the fact, that the king sometimes assumes a tone of superiority scarcely consistent with its independence.
- 1889, Hannis Taylor, The Origin and Growth of the English Constitution:
- The folkland, the national fund, was administered and conveyed conjointly by the king and the witan.
Anagrams edit
Gothic edit
Romanization edit
witan
- Romanization of 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽
Old Dutch edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Proto-West Germanic *witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde, originally a perfect form of *weyd- (“see”).
Verb edit
witan
- to know
Inflection edit
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Descendants edit
Further reading edit
- “witan”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
Etymology 2 edit
From Proto-Germanic *wītaną.
Verb edit
wītan
- to blame, to hold accountable
Inflection edit
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Further reading edit
- “wītan (II)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
Old English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Proto-West Germanic *witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde, originally a perfect form of *weyd- (“see”).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
witan
- to know, be aware of
- be hwāmhwugu witan
- to know about something
- c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
- Þū wāst hwǣr þīn bōc is.
- You know where your book is.
- late 10th century, Ælfric's Lives of Saints
- Iċ wāt eall be þām.
- I know all about that.
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of The Consolation of Philosophy
- Þā cwæþ hē, "Wāst þū hwæt mann sīe?" Þā cwæþ iċ, "Iċ wāt þæt hit biþ sāwol and līchama."
- Then he said, "Do you know what a person is?" So I said, "I know its a soul and a body."
- to feel a certain emotion
- c. 900, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans
- Þæt is tō wundriġenne þæt þā Ēgypte swā lȳtle þancunge wiston Iōsēpe þæs þe hē hīe æt hungre āhredde.
- It's amazing that the Egyptians felt so little gratitude to Joseph for saving them from famine.
- c. 900, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans
Usage notes edit
Old English used several different words to mean "to know":
- Witan meant "to be aware of," and was used with facts and pieces of information: Iċ wāt þæt iċ nāt nāwiht ("I know that I know nothing"), Hwā wāt hū fela ōðerra manna sind mē ġelīċe? ("Who knows how many other people are like me?"), Hwanon wāst þū mīnne naman? ("How do you know my name?"), Þū wāst hwæt tō dōnne is ("You know what to do").
- Cunnan meant "to be familiar with," and was used with people, places, concepts, and skills: Mæġ iċ hine lufian swīðor þonne iċ hine cann? ("Can I love him more than I know him?"), Ne sorge ġē, iċ cann þis sċræf swā æftewearde mīne hand ("Don't worry, I know this cave like the back of my hand"), Ealdenglisċ cunnan þyncþ mē unnytt ("Knowing Old English seems useless to me"). With verbs, it means "to know how": Þū āna cūðest mē hreddan ("You're the only person who knew how to save me"), Wisson ġit þæt hē singan cann? ("Did you know he can sing?")
- Ġecnāwan and oncnāwan meant to recognize or identify, and could be used almost interchangeably: Þā stefne iċ wolde āhwǣr ġecnāwan ("I'd know that voice anywhere"), Ġecnǣwst þū þisne wer? ("Do you know this man?"), Iċ oncnāwe gōd handweorc þonne iċ hit ġesēo ("I know good craftsmanship when I see it"), Be þon oncnāwaþ ealle menn þæt ġē sind mīne frīend ("That's how everyone will know you're my friends"). Though cnāwan is the ancestor of modern know and was probably a synonym, it was many times less common than these two prefixed forms in the Old English period, being attested only a few times in the surviving corpus.
- Tōcnāwan meant "to distinguish" or "discern": riht and wōh tōcnāwan ("to know right from wrong").
Conjugation edit
infinitive | witan | witenne |
---|---|---|
indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
first person singular | wāt | wisse, wiste |
second person singular | wāst | wissest, wistest |
third person singular | wāt | wisse, wiste |
plural | witon | wisson, wiston |
subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
singular | wite | wisse, wiste |
plural | witen | wissen, wisten |
imperative | ||
singular | wite | |
plural | witaþ | |
participle | present | past |
witende | (ġe)witen |
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
Etymology 2 edit
From Proto-Germanic *wītaną. Cognate with Old Norse víta, Dutch wijten.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
wītan
Conjugation edit
infinitive | wītan | wītenne |
---|---|---|
indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
first person singular | wīte | wāt |
second person singular | wītst | wite |
third person singular | wītt, wīt | wāt |
plural | wītaþ | witon |
subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
singular | wīte | wite |
plural | wīten | witen |
imperative | ||
singular | wīt | |
plural | wītaþ | |
participle | present | past |
wītende | (ġe)witen |
Derived terms edit
- ġewītan (“to depart”)
Descendants edit
Etymology 3 edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
witan
- nominative plural of wita
Old Saxon edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Proto-West Germanic *witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde, originally a perfect form of *weyd- (“see”).
Verb edit
witan (3 singular present wēt, 3 singular preterite wissa, preterite plural wissun, no past participle)
- to know
Conjugation edit
infinitive | witan | |
---|---|---|
indicative | present | past |
1st person singular | wēt | wissa |
2nd person singular | wēst | wisses |
3rd person singular | wēt | wissa |
plural | witun | wissun |
subjunctive | present | past |
1st person singular | witi | wissi |
2nd person singular | witis | wissis |
3rd person singular | witi | wissi |
plural | witin | wissin |
imperative | present | |
singular | — | |
plural | — | |
participle | present | past |
witandi | giwitan, witan |
Descendants edit
Etymology 2 edit
From Proto-Germanic *wītaną.
Verb edit
wītan (3 singular present wītid, 3 singular preterite wēt, preterite plural witun, past participle giwitan)
Conjugation edit
infinitive | wītan | |
---|---|---|
indicative | present | past |
1st person singular | wītu | wēt |
2nd person singular | wītis | witi |
3rd person singular | wītid | wēt |
plural | wītad | witun |
subjunctive | present | past |
1st person singular | wīte | witi |
2nd person singular | wītes | witis |
3rd person singular | wīte | witi |
plural | wīten | witin |
imperative | present | |
singular | wīt | |
plural | wītad | |
participle | present | past |
wītandi | giwitan, witan |