iwis, ywis, a., adv., and n. arch.
(ɪˈwɪs)
Forms: α. 1 ᵹewis, 2–7 iwis, (4–5 i-wis, 4–7 I-wis, 4–9 I wis); 2–4 iwiss, (6 I wys), 3–5 ywys, 3–7 ywis, 4–6 iwys, e-wis, 6 ywus, yewus, 6–7 iwus, I wus. β. 3–6 iwisse, (3–4 i wisse, 4–7 I wisse), 4–5 iwise, iwysse, 4–7 ywisse, 5 ywysse, 6 I wyse, yewisse, 7 I wusse. Nearly every one of these forms occurs written continuously, hyphened, and as two words; in the two latter cases, those beginning with i have frequently a capital, I-wis, I wis, I wisse, etc.
[a. OE. ᵹewis adj. (= OHG. giwis, MHG. and Du. gewis, Ger. gewiss certain), of which the neuter was used adverbially in ME. β. ME. iwisse adv. corresp. to an OE. type *ᵹewisse = OHG. ga-, giwisso, MHG. gewisse certainly. After 14th c., when final -e ceased to have any value, the two forms were mere variant spellings, as is seen by the riming of iwise with his in Cursor M.]
A. adj. (ᵹewis) Certain (subjectively and objectively). Only in OE.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xli. §4 Ic wundriᵹe hwy swa mæniᵹe wise men..swa lytel ᵹewis funden. c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. iv. xxv. [xxiv.] (1890) 348 Þæt is ᵹeseᵹen þæt he wære ᵹewis his seolfes forðfore. a 1000 Guthlac v. (Goodwin) 30 We syndon ᵹewisse þines lifes. c 1000 Gosp. Nicod. iii, Myd ᵹewyssum ᵹesceade yrn & clypa..þone [man]. |
B. adv. (ᵹewis, iwis, and iwisse) Certainly, assuredly, indeed, truly. (Often with weakened sense as a metrical tag.)
The writing with capital I, and separation of the two elements, have led later authors to understand and use it erroneously as = I wot, I know, as if a present of I wist.
| ? c 1160 Winteney Rule St. Benet (1888) 39 Ic eam ȝewis wyrm & nængman. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 233 He is iwiss mihti. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 15 Ȝe hit maȝen witen iwis þet hit is al for ure sunne. Ibid. 55 Þet is al soð, ful iwis. c 1200 Ormin 687 Þatt seȝȝde he ful iwiss forrþi þatt ta wass cumenn time. c 1205 Lay. 29481 Iwis ȝe beod ænglisce englen ilicchest. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 159 Ðe fifte day god made ywis of water, ilc fuel and eruerilc fis. a 1300 Cursor M. 876 (Cott.) For-þi þat thou has don þe mis, Þiself þou wite þi wa, i-wis. Ibid. 2967 (Cott.) Bot herd it es to kepe, iwise [v.rr. I. wys, i wis, I wis] Þe þing þat ilk man wald war his. c 1325 Metr. Hom. 17 And als Symond thoht this, Crist wist quat he thoht I wis. c 1340 Cursor M. 12749 (Fairf.) Of pantera come perpantera e-wis [v.r. i-wis]. c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 635 With my deth I may be quyt ywis. c 1440 Generydes 862 To sey yow myn intent I wis. 1519 Interl. Four Elem. (Percy Soc.) 12 Yet nothynge so grose as the yerth I wys. 1521 Bradshaw St. Werburge II. 599 That prince Edmunde, the thyrde son e-wis Of Edwarde senior, true foundour shulde be. 1565 Golding Ovid's Met. i. (1593) 25 No marvell though thou be so proud and full of wordes ywus. 1578 Churchyard Disc. Queen's Entertainm. K iij, The cace is aunswered thus: You are not ruld by loue of babes, nor womens willes yewus. 1598 Marston Pygmal. i. 140 And there (I wis) like no quaint stomack't man Eates vp his armes. 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Scornful Lady i. i, A comelier wear, I wus, it is than those dangling slops. 1748 Thomson Cast. Indol. ii. xlviii, To prove it were, I wis, To prove the beauteous world excels the brute abyss. 1829 Hood Epping Hunt xviii, A well-bred horse he was, I wis. 1845 Guest in Proc. Philol. Soc. II. 160 Till lately, our editors always converted the innocent adverb i-wiss (certainly) into I wiss, I know. 1865 Swinburne Poems & Ball., Masque Queen Bersabe 48, I wis men shall spit at me. |
| β c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 91 Ðo gan hem daȝen wel iwisse, Quan god hem ledde in-to blisse. c 1275 Lay. 19315 Mid moche blisse And richedom iwisse. c 1350 Will. Palerne 697 Ȝis, i-wisse, was it sche, y wot wel þe soþe. c 1400 Destr. Troy 897 All cold it became & the course helde, Bothe of ymur & aire, after I-wise. c 1410 Sir Cleges 480 ‘Tell me trewth..Knowyste thou of that man?’ The harper seyd, ‘Yee, I wysse’. 1535 Fisher Ways Perf. Relig. Wks. (1876) 368, I wisse it is a thing much more reasonable. 1565 Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 36 Yewisse, M. Harding, it greeveth you full sore they are so many. 1598 Yong Diana 10 For them the tender grasse in pleasant vales doth growe ywisse, Sweete shadowed riuer bankes tell me where my Syrenus is. 1663 Cowley Cutter Coleman St. v. vi, An' these be your Visions! little did I think I wusse—O what shall I do? |
γ. For aphetic form wis see wis adv. For in wis (perh. in part an expansion of iwis), see wis n.
| a 1240 Ureisum in Lamb. Hom. 187 As wis ase drope of þi deorwurþe blod mahte waschen a-wai alle folkes fulþe ase wis lifes louerd þe ilke fif wallen..wascne mine fif wittes. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2521 An her endede to ful, in wis, ðe boc ðe is hoten genesis. 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 86/1 Alas, your sinnes are so horrible, that none can be more: yea wis, sinne? |
† C. n. [the adj. used absol.: cf. OHG. giwissî, MG. gewisse ‘certainty’, and the mod. for certain.] Certainty: in phr. mid iwisse with certainty, certainly (= prec. adv.); also to iwisse for certain. Obs.
| a 1000 Rule St. Benet lxviii. (Schröer) 128 Wite se ᵹingra mid ᵹewisse, þæt hit him eal framað. a 1000 Assmann's Angelsächs Homil. 55 Forðan ðe we nyton to nanum ᵹewisse. a 1200 Moral Ode 40 Þenne haueð he his mid iwisse. c 1205 Lay. 3545 Peniȝes þer buod an sunda To iwisse an hundrad punda. Ibid. 7607 Muchel wes þa blisse þat heo makeden mid iwisse. a 1300 K. Horn 432 He gan hire for to kesse Wel ofte mid ywisse. c 1315 Shoreham 23 Wanne eny prest his messe syngeth, I-lief hyt myd y-wysse. |