Etymograph

English

wiselike

Wiselike comes from Old English wīslīc ‘wise, sagacious, prudent’, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd-s-ós ‘knowledgeable’, and ultimately from *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. 450–1150wīslīc3‘wise, sagacious, prudent’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wiseli3
  7. Englishtodaywiselike3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old English wis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English wislic
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English wiselike

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 wislic‘wise’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150wīslīcWiktionary, English wiselike‘wise, sagacious, prudent’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wiseliWiktionary, English wiselike
  7. EnglishtodaywiselikeWiktionary, English wiselike

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, vista, visibility, prudent, witty, steroid, tabloid, envious, prudence, revise, revue, guise, druid, vide, purview, improvise, voyeur, avis, hypothyroidism, 116 more

through Proto-Germanic *wīsaz ‘wise, knowledgeable’

wisdom, unwisely, 5 more

through Old English wīs ‘wise’

unwise, 4 more

Today it means

adj Resembling that which is wise or sensible; judicious; sensible.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “wiselike”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Old English wis, Old English wislic. 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- / wiselike

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