▪ I. † wis, n. Obs.
Also 4 wys.
[Usually in inflected form wisse, wysse: absol. use of OE. wis(s adj. certain, in advb. phr. (see below). Cf. iwis C.]
Phr. to wis(se), OE. tó wissum (for *tó (ᵹe)wissum þinge), mid wisse, occas. in wis: of a certainty, for certain. (Cf. wis adv.)
| c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives xvii. 174 Ac wite ᵹe to wissan þæt se wælhreowa deofol ne mæᵹ mannum derian. a 1100 Aldhelm Gloss. i. 420 (Napier 13/1) Præsertim, i. maxime, vel to wissan. Ibid. 1051 (29/1) Profecto, i. omnino, to wissum. a 1200 Moral Ode 236 Nute hi hweþer hom deþ wurs mid [v.r. to] neure nane wisse. c 1200 Ormin 8460 Godess enngell comm himm to & seȝȝde himm þa to wisse Whillc ende off Issraæless land He shollde þanne sekenn. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 25 Ac sunderlepes he is here fader mid wisse. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1515 Oc god him sente reed in wis Ðat he bilef in gerasis. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 120 Y knowe him wel to wisse. Ibid. 3763 Ther is non of ȝow þat wot to wys Wather he ys quyke or ded. |
▪ II. † wis, v.1 Obs.
Forms: 1 wissian, 2–3 wissien, (2 -ine), 3 wissi(n, wyssye, 3–5 wisse(n, 4 wiss, 4–5 wyssen, wis, 4–6 wys(se, 5 wyss. β. 5 wissh(e, wysshe, wysh, wish (wych), 5–6 wyshe, 6 Sc. wische.
[OE. wissian, f. wis certain (cf. wis n.) + -ian, -y2: a late formation on the model of the synonymous w{iacu}sian wise v.1]
1. trans. To make known, give information of, indicate; esp. to show, point out (the way).
| c 1000 ælfric Gen. xxxiii. 15 Ic bidde ðe þæt ðu nyme þe ladmenn of minum ᵹeferum ðæt þe weᵹas wission. a 1250 Prov. Alfred 29 in O.E. Misc. 104 He ou wolde wyssye wisliche þinges. a 1300 Cursor M. 25447 Lauerd..wiss me waies þare Þare santes has þair seli sete. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vi. 24 Const þou wissen vs þe wey wher þat he dwelleþ? c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxxviii. (Adrian) 619, I sal wis ȝou þe rycht way. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 689 Is oȝt þi werid to þe wissid [v.r. wist]? Ibid. 4997 And quat þou will of þaim to wete wis in þi saghe. c 1440 J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. v. 1929 Þat she may vs wisse A stedefast lore for to amende oure mysse. 1460 Paston Lett. I. 518 If my feodaryes..may ought wisse therin, lete them se it. |
| β c 1400 Beryn 3290 Met I nevir creature þat me coude wissh or say Reedynes of my ffadir, dede othir a-lyve. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xv. 156 He that this warld began, wysh vs the way! 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 1929 Wische me the richt way till Sanct-Androes. |
b. Const. dependent interrog. clause.
| c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives v. 253 Se cræft sceolde wissian ᵹewisslice be steorrum hwæt ᵹehwilcum menn ᵹelumpe on his lifes endebyrdnysse. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 37 He is iset bi-twihan god almihtin and þe for þe wissine hu þu scalt et god seolf habben þine sunne forȝeuene. c 1325 Spec. Gy Warw. 119 What it is i wole þe wisse. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. xii. 40 She wolde me wisse wher þe toun were. c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 1245 Wisseth me how to gete a golden salue. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 2633 Þou may me wysse How lang þe kyngdome sall be hyss. |
2. To show the way to (a person); to direct, guide; to lead, conduct (lit. or fig.). Also absol.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 324 ælces mannes weorc cyðað hwilc gast hine wissað. a 1023 Wulfstan Hom. xix. (1883) 108 Þa ðe him betæhte sindon for gode to wissianne. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 89 Godes ȝife us wissað [ælfric Hom. I. 312 ᵹewissað] to his willen. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 390/41 God..us leue..ore lif so wisse Þat we..comen to heouene blisse. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 9304 God..þat þam gun wysse Til mekenes. 1340–70 Alisaunder 806 Amon þe grete God..Schall þee wisse fro wo. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 739 Þe knyȝt..To Mary made his mone, Þat ho..wysse hym to sum wone. c 1425 Engl. Conq. Ireland 95 He wissed the hors sydlynge ayeynes the watyr asquynt. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 2366 Thy seven Clerkys, That wyssys the to wykkyd werkys. c 1430 Pistill of Susan 213 (Cott. MS.) Wylyly hyr wenches she wyssed a-way. c 1440 York Myst. i. 157 To all I sall wirke be ȝhe wysshyng. c 1530 Songs, Carols, etc. (E.E.T.S.) 51, & vertuosly me wysse to godward! c 1550 Wever Lusty Juventus (facs. Awdely) A ij b, I pray you wyshe me thether, For I am going to seeke them. |
b. To manage, rule, govern, control.
| c 1000 ælfric in Morris O.E. Hom. I. 302 Rex we cwæþað cyning, þæt is ᵹecweden wissiᵹend, forþam þe he sceal wissiᵹan mid wisdome his folce. c 1205 Lay. 5280 Þe sculden witen þat lond & wissien þa leoden. c 1290 Beket 1059 in S. Eng. Leg. 136 Vnneþe he miȝte with is hondene þeos þre þingus do; blessi þat folk and bere þe croiz and is bridel wisse. a 1300 Cursor M. 5292 Þe lauerd-hed of al his land To wiss and ledd. a 1470 Harding Chron. cxx. xxii. (1812) 232 He made duke Harold protectoure Of his cousyne, to gouerne and to wysse Edgar Athelyng. |
3. with person as obj. (orig. dat.) and (freq.) inf. with to: To give directions or instructions to; to direct, order; to instruct, show how (to do something); also gen. to teach, instruct.
| c 1000 ælfric Num. xxiii. 8 He witeᵹode þa, swa him wissode god. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 7 He..wisseþ us to leden ure lif on clennesse. a 1300 Cursor M. 17201 If þou wil werc als i þe wiss. Ibid. 20536 Thritti winter and sumdel mare, I lenged man to wiss in lare. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus i. 622 Thow koudest neuere yn loue þyn seluen wysse. 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles Prol. 31 For to written him a writte to wissen him better. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 9 And wysse me to werpe owte some worde. 1486 Bk. St. Albans e iv, And ye speke of the Bucke the fyrst yere he is A fawne sowkyng on his dam say, as I yow wis. |
▪ III. wis, v.2 pseudo-arch.
(wɪs)
Also 7 (3 pers. sing.) wisses, 9 wiss.
Orig. in I wis = iwis adv. (q.v.) erron. taken as = ‘I know’; hence occas. as a synonym of ‘know’ in other parts of the verb, being apprehended as the present of wist, pa. tense of wit v.1
[The following show various stages of corruption of iwis:—
| 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 37 Ane wes ane wedow, I wist. Ibid. 414 Now am I a wedow, I wise. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iv. i. 180 And if I wish he did. But let it rest. 1614 W. Browne Sheph. Pipe C 6, Better cannot be I wist, Descant on it he that list. 1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 115 Strange the Proiect was I wish Of this Metamorphosis. 1798 Coleridge Anc. Mar. iii. ii, It moved and moved, and took at last A certain shape, I wist. 1818 Byron To Mr. Murray v, Tours, Travels, Essays, too, I wist, And Sermons to thy mill bring grist. 1893 F. Thompson Poems 15 Wings, I wist, Whose amethyst Trepidations have forgone me.] |
| 1606 Lyly's Euphues (1613) Y 1 b, You gall mee more with these tearmes then you wisse [ed. 1580 wist, 1597 wish]. 1642 Milton Apol. Smect. 13 Where my morning haunts are he wisses not. [Cf. 1642 ? J. Hall Modest Confut. To Rdr. A iij b, Where his morning haunts are I wist not.] 1662 A. Cooper Stratologia ii. 47 Morgan more valorous than hee wis'd or wil'd. 1803 W. S. Rose Amadis 31 Full well I wiss To serve your princely will were perfect bliss. c 1830 Coleridge Alice Du Clos 77 And, bonny boy, you wis, Lord Julian is a hasty man. 1844 Mrs. Browning Rom. Page xxiii, In the dark chambère, if the bride was fair, Ye wis, I could not see. |
▪ IV. † wis, adv. Obs.
Also 3–4 wiss, 4–5 wys, 6 wusse.
[Aphetic form of iwis, q.v. (cf. wis n.).]
Certainly, assuredly.
| c 1200 Ormin 2866 Wiss to soþe. Ibid. 7410 Þeȝȝ sindenn wiss hundess & swin Þurrh þeȝȝre laþe sinness. a 1225 Ancr. R. 38 Alse wis ase iðen ilke flesche þet he nom of þe nes neuer sunne [etc.]. a 1300 Cursor M. 1863 Þat mighti king, ful son and wiss, Did turn þair baret in-to blis. c 1330 Amis & Amil. 1292 The steward swore the pople among, As wis as he seyd no wrong, God help him at his nede! c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 742 God helpe me so as wys This is to muche. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 276 Als so wiss mot I be schrive. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6433 God so wys be my socour [orig. si m'aist Diex]. 1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. i. i, Kno. Why, I hope you will not a hawking now, will you? Ste. No wusse. |
▪ V. wis
obs. f. wise; obs. Sc. f. wish.