I. ˈwit verb
( wist ˈwist ; wit·ting present first & third singular wot ˈwät)
Etymology: Middle English witen (1st & 3d singular present wot, past wiste ), from Old English witan (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
1. archaic : know
2. archaic : to come to know : learn
II. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German wizzi knowledge, Old English witan to know
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : mind , memory
b. : reasoning power : intelligence
2.
a. : sense 2a — usually used in plural
alone and warming his five wit s, the white owl in the belfry sits — Alfred Tennyson
b.
(1) : mental soundness : sanity — usually used in plural
(2) : mental capability and resourcefulness : ingenuity
3.
a. : astuteness of perception or judgment : acumen
b. : the ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse
c.
(1) : a talent for banter or persiflage
(2) : a witty utterance or exchange
d. : clever or apt humor
4.
a. : a person of superior intellect : thinker
b. : an imaginatively perceptive and articulate individual especially skilled in banter or persiflage
•
- at one's wit's end
Synonyms:
wit , humor , irony , sarcasm , satire , repartee mean a mode of expression intended to arouse amusement. wit suggests the power to evoke laughter by remarks showing verbal felicity or ingenuity and swift perception especially of the incongruous
a playful wit
humor implies an ability to perceive the ludicrous, the comical, and the absurd in human life and to express these usually without bitterness
a sense of humor
irony applies to a manner of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is seemingly expressed
the irony of the title
sarcasm applies to expression frequently in the form of irony that is intended to cut or wound
given to heartless sarcasm
satire applies to writing that exposes or ridicules conduct, doctrines, or institutions either by direct criticism or more often through irony, parody, or caricature
a satire on the Congress
repartee implies the power of answering quickly, pointedly, or wittily
a dinner guest noted for repartee