"W" Word Origins

wiretap

Origin

A back-formation from "wiretapper," itself built from wire and tap in the sense of secretly connecting into a line.

wiring

Origin

Formed from wire plus the suffix -ing.

wiry

Origin

Formed from wire plus the suffix -y, describing something with the texture or leanness of wire.

wis

Origin

Inherited from Middle English wis (“certain, sure”), from an aphetic form of Middle English iwis, ywis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewiss (“certain, sure”)), or of North Germanic origin, cognate with Icelandic viss (“certain, sure”), Dutch gewis (“certain, sure”), and German gewiss (“certain, sure”). Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gawissaz. More at iwis.

Wisconsin

French

From a French rendering of an Algonquian name for the Wisconsin River, of uncertain exact meaning.

wisconsinite

Origin

From French Ouisconsinite. By surface analysis, Wisconsin + -ite.

wisdom

Middle English

From Middle English wisdom, from Old English wīsdōm (“wisdom”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīsadōm, from Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz (“wisdom”), corresponding to wise + -dom. Cognate with Scots wisdom, wysdom (“wisdom”), West Frisian wiisdom (“wisdom”), Dutch wijsdom (“wisdom”), German Weistum (“legal sentence”), Danish/Norwegian/Swedish visdom (“wisdom”), Icelandic vísdómur (“wisdom”).

wise

Old English

From Old English wis, meaning "knowledgeable" or "wise," tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to see" — the same root that gives us "wit" and "vision."

wiseass

Origin

Formed from wise (in the sense of "cheeky" or "smart-alecky") plus the slang intensifier -ass.

wisecrack

English

A compound of wise, in the slang sense of impudent or knowing, and crack, a sharp spoken remark; American in origin.

wisecracker

Origin

From wisecrack + -er.

wisely

Old English

From Old English wislice, built from wise plus the adverb ending -ly.

wish

Old English

From Old English wyscan, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to wish" that also produced the German wünschen and Dutch wensen.

wishbone

Origin

From wish plus bone, named for the tradition of making a wish while snapping it.

wishful

Origin

From wish plus the adjective ending -ful.

wishy-washy

English

A reduplication of "washy", meaning thin or watery, with vowel variation of the kind found in dilly-dally and knick-knack.

wisp

Middle English

From Middle English wispe, of uncertain deeper origin, related to old West Germanic words for a bundle of straw or grass.

wispy

Origin

From wisp + -y.

wisteria

Latin

Named after the American anatomist Caspar Wistar, whose surname was Latinized as the genus name Wisteria.

wistful

Origin

Probably built from the older word whist ("silent") plus -ful, though its meaning was shaped over time by association with "wishful."

wistfulness

Origin

From wistful + -ness.

wit

Old English

From Old English witt, meaning mind or understanding, tracing back to an ancient root meaning "to know" — the same root behind "wise" and "wisdom."

witch

Old English

From Old English wicce ("female witch") and wicca ("male witch, sorcerer"), from a Germanic verb meaning "to practice sorcery," possibly linked to the word wicked.

witchcraft

Old English

From Old English wiccecraft, formed from witch plus craft.

witchdom

Origin

From Middle English wicchedome, from Old English wiċċedōm, equivalent to witch + -dom.

witching

Origin

From witch plus the adjective ending -ing.

witchy

Origin

From witch plus the adjective-forming suffix -y.

wite

Origin

From Middle English wīten (“to accuse, reproach, punish, suspect”), Old English wītan (“to look, behold, see, guard, keep, impute or ascribe to, accuse, reproach, blame”), from Proto-West Germanic *wītan, from Proto-Germanic *wītaną. Connected to Old English wīte, see below.

witful

Origin

From Middle English witful (“wise; sagacious; cunning; ingenious”), equivalent to wit + -ful.

witfulness

Origin

From witful + -ness.

with

Old English

From Old English wiþ, which originally meant "against" or "opposite" — its meaning shifted over time in Middle English to mean "together with," replacing the older word "mid."

withal

Old English

From Middle English withal, built from with plus al ("all"), and used to replace the older Old English phrase mid ealle.

withcall

Origin

Inherited from Middle English withcallen (“to recall, call back; revoke”). By surface analysis, with- (“back, away”) + call.

withdraught

Origin

From Middle English wyþdraȝþ, wedraught, etc, equivalent to with- + draught or withdraw + -t (abstract nominal suffix).

withdraw

Middle English

From Middle English withdrawen, formed from with- (meaning "away" or "back") plus draw.

withdrawal

Origin

From withdraw plus the noun-forming suffix -al.

wither

Middle English

From Middle English widren, related to weather — originally describing something being worn down by exposure to the elements.

withering

Origin

From wither plus the ending -ing.

witherite

Origin

After the English physician and mineralogist William Withering (1741-1799) in 1790.

withers

Origin

From an old dialect word wither meaning "against," since this part of a horse pushes against the weight of a harness or load.

withersake

Origin

From Middle English withersake, from Old English wiþersaca (“adversary, enemy; betrayer; apostate”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþrasakō, equivalent to wither- (“against”) + sake. Cognate with Middle High German widersache, Modern German Widersacher (“adversary, opponent, antagonist, foe”).

Witherspoon

Middle English

Scottish habitational surname, perhaps from Middle English wether (“ram”) + spong (“narrow strip of land”).

witherward

Origin

From Middle English witherward, from Old English wiþerweard (“contrary, adverse, hostile”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþraward, from Proto-Germanic *wiþrawardaz (“contrary, adverse, in opposition”); equivalent to wither (“against”) + -ward. Cognate with Old High German widarwart (“witherward”), German widerwärtig (“adverse, repulsive”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌸𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐍃 (wiþrawairþs, “witherward”).

withhold

Middle English

From Middle English withholden, formed from with- ("back") plus hold.

within

Old English

From Old English wiþinnan, formed from with plus in.

without

Old English

From Old English wiþūtan, literally "against the outside of," formed from with plus out.

withsake

Origin

From Middle English withsaken, from Old English wiþsacan (“to forsake, abandon, renounce, refuse, deny, oppose, drive against”); equivalent to with- + sake. Compare Middle High German widersachen.

withset

Origin

From Middle English withsetten (“to resist, set against”), from Old English wiþsettan (“to resist; condemn”), equivalent to with- (“against”) + set.