witan
See also: Witan and witań
English
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Old English witan, plural of wita (“wise man”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwɪtən/
Noun
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.
- 1833, S. A. Dunham, Europe in the Middle Ages (Green & Longman), page 48:
Anagrams
- Antwi, TWAIN, Twain, Wiant, twain, waint
Gothic
Romanization
witan
- Romanization of 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽
Old Dutch
Etymology 1
From Proto-West Germanic *witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde, originally a perfect form of *weyd- (“see”).
Verb
witan
- to know
Inflection
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Descendants
- Middle Dutch: wēten
- Dutch: weten
- Afrikaans: weet
- Limburgish: weite, wiete
- Dutch: weten
Further reading
- “witan”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
Etymology 2
From Proto-Germanic *wītaną.
Verb
wītan
- to blame, to hold accountable
Inflection
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Derived terms
- farwītan
Descendants
- Middle Dutch: witen
- Dutch: wijten
- Limburgish: wiete
Further reading
- “wītan (II)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
Old English
Alternative forms
- weotan
Etymology 1
From Proto-West Germanic *witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde, originally a perfect form of *weyd- (“see”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwi.tɑn/
Verb
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.
- to feel a certain emotion
- c. 900, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans
- Þæt is tō wundriġenne þæt þā Ēgypte swā lȳtle þancunge wisson 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
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
Conjugation of witan (preterite-present)
| 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 | |
Derived terms
- bewitan
- forewitan
- ġewitan
- God wāt
- nytan
Related terms
- ġewiss
- wīs
Descendants
- Middle English: witen, wete, weten, wetyn, wite, witenn, witten, wyett, wyt, wyte, wyten
- English: wit, weet
- Scots: wit
- Yola: wiethe, weithe, waithe
Etymology 2
From Proto-Germanic *wītaną. Cognate with Old Norse víta, Dutch wijten.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwiː.tɑn/
Verb
wītan
- to blame, accuse, reproach
Conjugation
Conjugation of wītan (strong class 1)
| 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
- ġewītan (“to depart”)
Descendants
- English: wite
- Scots: wyte
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwi.tɑn/
Noun
witan
- nominative plural of wita
Old Saxon
Etymology 1
From Proto-West Germanic *witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde, originally a perfect form of *weyd- (“see”).
Verb
witan (3 singular present wēt, 3 singular preterite wissa, preterite plural wissun, no past participle)
- to know
Conjugation
Conjugation of witan (preterite-present)
| 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
- Middle Low German: wēten, wetten
- German Low German: wetten, wieten
Etymology 2
From Proto-Germanic *wītaną.
Verb
wītan (3 singular present wītid, 3 singular preterite wēt, preterite plural witun, past participle giwitan)
- to reproach, to blame
Conjugation
Conjugation of wītan (strong class 1)
| 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 | |