English
wisdom
Wisdom comes from Proto-Germanic *wīsaz ‘wise, knowledgeable’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-1‘to see’root named by Wiktionary
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-s-ós2‘knowledgeable’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīsaz3‘wise, knowledgeable’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīsadōmaz1reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wīsadōm1reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wīsdōm1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wisdom1
- Englishearliest quotation 1652wisdom1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English wisdom
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *wīsaz
- 3 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1652, Eugenius Philalethes, The Fame and Confeſſion of the Fraternity of…the Roſie Croſs: “Wiſdom…is to a man an infinite Treaſure, for ſhe…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-Wiktionary, English wisdom‘to see’root named by Wiktionary
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-s-ósWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *wīsaz‘knowledgeable’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīsazWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz‘wise, knowledgeable’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīsadōmazWiktionary, English wisdomreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wīsadōmWiktionary, English wisdomreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wīsdōmWiktionary, English wisdom
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wisdomWiktionary, English wisdom
- Englishearliest quotation 1652wisdomWiktionary, English wisdom. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1652, Eugenius Philalethes, The Fame and Confeſſion of the Fraternity of…the Roſie Croſs: “Wiſdom…is to a man an infinite Treaſure, for ſhe…”
Formed from wise + -dom
Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’
…
Proto-Indo-European *weyd-s-ós
Proto-Germanic *wīsaz ‘knowledgeable’
Old English wīs
Middle English wys ‘wise’
English wise
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’
story, video, guy, idea, provide, evidence, review, advice, interview, visit, guide, vision, witness, historic, evident, invisible, advise, visa, historian, wizard, idol, wit, visibility, vista, prudent, steroid, witty, tabloid, revise, envious, guise, prudence, revue, druid, vide, purview, improvise, voyeur, avis, purveyor, 116 more
through Proto-Indo-European *weyd-s-ós ‘knowledgeable’
through Proto-Germanic *wīsaz ‘wise, knowledgeable’
Today it means
noun An element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “wisdom”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *wīsaz, Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz. 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- / wisdom