WIT

I. verb (wist; ~ting; present first & third singular wot) Etymology: Middle English ~en (1st & 3d singular present wot, past wiste), from Old English ~an (1st & 3d singular present wāt, past wisse, wiste); akin to Old High German wizzan to know, Latin vidēre to see, Greek eidenai to know, idein to see Date: before 12th century know , to come to know ; learn , II. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German wizzi knowledge, Old English ~an to know Date: before 12th century 1. mind , memory , reasoning power ; intelligence , 2. sense 2a, b. mental soundness ; sanity , mental capability and resourcefulness ; ingenuity , 3. astuteness of perception or judgment ; acumen , the ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse, c. a talent for banter or persiflage, a ~ty utterance or exchange, clever or apt humor, 4. a person of superior intellect ; thinker, an imaginatively perceptive and articulate individual especially skilled in banter or persiflage, Synonyms: see: ~