Etymograph

English

unwisely

Unwisely comes from Old English unwīslīċe ‘unwisely, foolish’, from wīslīċe ‘wisely, with wisdom, sagaciously, prudently’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see, to know’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-1‘to see, to know’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-s-ós1‘knowledgeable’reconstructedextension of *weyd-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīsaz1‘wise, knowledgeable’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wīs2‘wise’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150wīslīċe3‘wisely, with wisdom, sagaciously, prudently’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150unwīslīċe4‘unwisely, foolish’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vnwysely4
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2024unwisely4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old English wis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English wislice
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old English unwislice
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English unwisely
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2024, Tom Ingall, Hope springs eternal for better services: “The scope of the new upgrade isn't just restricted…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-Wiktionary, Old English wis‘to see, to know’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-s-ósWiktionary, Old English wis‘knowledgeable’reconstructedextension of *weyd-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīsazWiktionary, Old English wis‘wise, knowledgeable’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wīsWiktionary, Old English wislice‘wise’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150wīslīċeWiktionary, Old English unwislice‘wisely, with wisdom, sagaciously, prudently’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150unwīslīċeWiktionary, English unwisely‘unwisely, foolish’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vnwyselyWiktionary, English unwisely
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2024unwiselyWiktionary, English unwisely. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2024, Tom Ingall, Hope springs eternal for better services: “The scope of the new upgrade isn't just restricted…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see, to know’

story, video, guy, idea, provide, evidence, review, advice, interview, visit, guide, vision, witness, historic, evident, idol, invisible, visa, historian, wizard, wit, advise, visibility, vista, prudent, witty, steroid, tabloid, envious, prudence, revise, revue, guise, druid, vide, purview, improvise, voyeur, avis, hypothyroidism, 117 more

through Proto-Germanic *wīsaz ‘wise, knowledgeable’

wisdom, 6 more

through Old English wīs ‘wise’

wise, 4 more

Today it means

adv In an unwise manner; foolishly.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “unwisely”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Old English wis, Old English wislice, Old English unwislice. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyd- / unwisely

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