wisdom
See also: Wisdom
English
Alternative forms
- wisedome (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English wisdom, from Old English wīsdōm (“wisdom”), from Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz (“wisdom”), corresponding to wise + -dom or wise + doom (“judgement”). 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”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: wĭzʹdəm, IPA(key): /ˈwɪzdəm/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪzdəm
- Hyphenation: wis‧dom
Noun
wisdom (countable and uncountable, plural wisdoms)
- (uncountable) An element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise.
- (countable) A piece of wise advice.
- The discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good.
- The ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way, especially to different situations from that in which the knowledge was gained.
- The ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding.
- (theology) The ability to know and apply spiritual truths.
- 1652, Eugenius Philalethes, The Fame and Confeſſion of the Fraternity of…the Roſie Croſs, pages 1–2 of the preface
- Wiſdom…is to a man an infinite Treaſure, for ſhe is the Breath of the Power of God, and a pure Influence that floweth from the Glory of the Almighty; ſhe is the Brightneſs of Eternal Light, and an undefiled Mirror of the Majeſty of God, and an Image of his Goodneſs; ſhe teacheth us Soberneſs and Prudence, Righteouſneſs and Strength; ſhe underſtands the Subtilty of words, and Solution of dark ſentences; ſhe foreknoweth Signs and Wonders, and what ſhall happen in time to come.
- 1652, Eugenius Philalethes, The Fame and Confeſſion of the Fraternity of…the Roſie Croſs, pages 1–2 of the preface
- (rare) A group of wombats.
- 2007 April 16, Tony Cooper, “Ebay is Unfair!”, in rec.collecting.coins, Usenet, retrieved 2022-09-05:
- It would also be difficult to get to the bottom line accurately if a wisdom of wombats ate your working papers. Both scenarios are equal in probability.
- 2017, Peggy A. Wheeler, The Splendid and Extraordinary Life of Beautimus Potamus:
- Beautimus strolled to the river for her morning bath. She looked one direction, then the other to search the landscape for anything or anybody who might offer a clue as to what could be coming her way. She passed a pond where a congregation of alligators and a wisdom of wombats engaged in a heated argument over economics. Nothing unusual in that.
- 2020, Graham Jackson, The7th Victim, page 160:
- Banyule means hill, another voice whispers from the swamp, and as I turn to ask a question I see kangaroos lying in the shade of a low tree by the shining water. Yes, the water has returned, along with giant earth-eating creatures boring holes far below, linking wisdoms of wombats with wastelands of Winthers.
-
- (rare) A group of owls.
- Synonym: parliament
- 1974, Margery Weiner, Answering Any Questions: How to Set Up an Information Office, Newton Abbot : David and Charles [for] the "Daily Telegraph":
- What he expected to find I cannot imagine , unless it was a wisdom of owls. What he did see and hear were telephones ringing, assistants answering them, getting up from their seats to take a book or a card from a file, returning […]
- 2016, Gary Barwin, Yiddish for Pirates: A Novel, →ISBN, page 91:
- All of us, whether we gather into a wisp of snipes, a wisdom of owls, a wing of plovers, or remain like a single regretful priest on his knees before his God, we are one and it is not for us to decide another's fate.
Synonyms
- (ability to make a decision): See Thesaurus:wisdom
Antonyms
- foolishness
- folly
Derived terms
- conventional wisdom
- pearl of wisdom
- wisdomless
- wisdom tooth
Related terms
- wise
- wisehead
- wiseness
Translations
element of personal character
|
piece of wise advice
|
discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good
|
ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way
|
ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding
|
ability to know and apply spiritual truths
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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References
- (group of wombats): Woop Studios, Jay Sacher. A Compendium of Collective Nouns: From an Armory of Aardvarks to a Zeal of Zebras. Chronicle Books, 2013. p. 213
See also
- morality
Middle English
Etymology
From Old English wīsdom. Equivalent to wys + -dom.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwizdoːm/
Noun
wisdom (plural wisdomes)
- wisdom
- c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.), published c. 1410, Apocalips 17:9, page 123r, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:
- ⁊ þis is þe wit who þat haþ wiſdom / þe ſeuene heedis ben ſeuene hillis .· on which þe womman ſittiþ
- And the mind that has wisdom thinks: "The seven heads are the seven hills that the woman sits on […]
-
Related terms
- unwisdom
Descendants
- English: wisdom
- Scots: wisdom, wysdom
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz. Cognate with Old Frisian wīsdom, Old Saxon wīsdom, Old High German wīstuom, Old Norse vísdómr. Equivalent to wīs + dōm.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwiːsˌdoːm/, [ˈwiːzˌdoːm]
Noun
wīsdōm m
- wisdom
Declension
Declension of wisdom (strong a-stem)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | wīsdōm | wīsdōmas |
| accusative | wīsdōm | wīsdōmas |
| genitive | wīsdōmes | wīsdōma |
| dative | wīsdōme | wīsdōmum |
Descendants
- Middle English: wisdom
- English: wisdom