The Collaborative Dictionary

Wite \Wite\, v. t. [AS. w[imac]tan; akin to D. wijten, G. verweisen, Icel. v[imac]ta to mulct, and E. wit; cf. AS. w[imac]tan to see, L. animadvertere to observe, to punish. ????. See Wit, v.] To reproach; to blame; to censure; also, to impute as blame. [Obs. or Scot.] --Spenser. [1913 Webster] Though that I be jealous, wite me not. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] There if that I misspeak or say, Wite it the ale of Southwark, I you pray. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Wite \Wite\, n. [AS. w[imac]te punishment. ????. See Wite, v.] Blame; reproach. [Obs. or Scot.] --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Wit \Wit\ (w[i^]t), v. t. & i. [inf. (To) Wit; pres. sing. Wot; pl. Wite; imp. Wist(e); p. p. Wist; p. pr. & vb. n. Wit(t)ing. See the Note below.] [OE. witen, pres. ich wot, wat, I know (wot), imp. wiste, AS. witan, pres. w[=a]t, imp. wiste, wisse; akin to OFries. wita, OS. witan, D. weten, G. wissen, OHG. wizzan, Icel. vita, Sw. veta, Dan. vide, Goth. witan to observe, wait I know, Russ. vidiete to see, L. videre, Gr. ?, Skr. vid to know, learn; cf. Skr. vid to find. ????. Cf. History, Idea, Idol, -oid, Twit, Veda, Vision, Wise, a. & n., Wot.] To know; to learn. "I wot and wist alway." --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] [1913 Webster] Note: The present tense was inflected as follows; sing. 1st pers. wot; 2d pers. wost, or wot(t)est; 3d pers. wot, or wot(t)eth; pl. witen, or wite. The following variant forms also occur; pres. sing. 1st & 3d pers. wat, woot; pres. pl. wyten, or wyte, weete, wote, wot; imp. wuste (Southern dialect); p. pr. wotting. Later, other variant or corrupt forms are found, as, in Shakespeare, 3d pers. sing. pres. wots. [1913 Webster] Brethren, we do you to wit [make you to know] of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia. --2 Cor. viii.

[1913 Webster] Thou wost full little what thou meanest. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] We witen not what thing we prayen here. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] When that the sooth in wist. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] Note: This verb is now used only in the infinitive, to wit, which is employed, especially in legal language, to call attention to a particular thing, or to a more particular specification of what has preceded, and is equivalent to namely, that is to say. [1913 Webster]

English

Etymology 1

From witan, derived from wite.

Pronunciation

• , /waɪt/, /waIt/

  Rhymes with: -aɪt

Homophones

• white (in accents with the wine-whine merger)
• wight

Alternative spellings

• wyte

Verb

1. In the context of "chiefly|_|Scottish": To blame; to regard as guilty.

Etymology 2

wite.

Pronunciation

• , /waɪt/, /waIt/

  Rhymes with: -aɪt

Noun

1. In the context of "chiefly|_|Scottish": Blame, responsibility

Etymology 3

witan

Pronunciation

• , /waɪt/, /waIt/

  Rhymes with: -aɪt

Verb

1. In the context of "obsolete|or|poetic": To go, go away, depart, perish, vanish

Old English

Etymology

Cognate with Old Frisian wîte, Old Saxon wîti (Dutch wijte), Old High German wîzi, Old Norse víti.

Pronunciation

• /'wi:te/

Noun

1. punishment, torment

Scots

Alternative spellings

• wyte

Etymology

Pronunciation

• /wʌɪt/

Verb

1. To blame; to regard as guilty.