Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wist

/wɪst/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.71 in modern English

Syllables: wist
IPA: /wɪst/

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

simple past and past participle of wit.

Archaic

verb

To know, be aware of.

Example Sentences

"a'''1796, Robert Burns, "Bonie Jean: A Ballad", in Poems and Songs, P.F. Collier & Son (1909–14), Bartleby.com (2001), http://www.bartleby.com/6/419.html, And lang ere witless Jeanie wist, / Her heart was tint, her peace was stown!"
"Did the maledicent Bodyguard, getting (as was too inevitable) better malediction than he gave, load his musketoon, and threaten to fire; and actually fire? Were wise who wist!"
"[…] speak to the man, and he wists not that his face doth shine."

Etymology

Past indicative of wit: from Old English witan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“see, know”). Cognate with Dutch weten, German wissen, Swedish veta, and Latin videō (“to see”). Compare guide.

Origin

Source language: Old English

Word Breakdown

Root: witan, *witaną, *weyd-

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

wists (present, singular) wisting (participle, present) wisted (participle, past) wisted (past)

Homonyms

whist (wine–whine merger)

Rhymes With

list missed exist assist pissed twist resist dismissed insist wrist kissed consist

Questions

How do you pronounce wist?: The recorded pronunciation is /wɪst/.
What does wist mean?: simple past and past participle of wit.
Where does wist come from?: It is traced to Old English.

How to pronounce wist

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wist”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/wɪst/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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