Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [too wit]
- /tu wɪt/
- /tuː wɪt/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [too wit]
- /tu wɪt/
Definitions of to wit words
- idioms to wit to wit, that is to say; namely: It was the time of the vernal equinox, to wit, the beginning of spring. 1
- adverb to wit that is to say 1
- phrase to wit To wit is used to indicate that you are about to state or describe something more precisely. 0
- noun to wit that is to say; namely (used to introduce statements, as in legal documents) 0
- noun to wit that is to say; namely 0
Information block about the term
Origin of to wit
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English witen, Old English witan; cognate with Dutch weten, German wissen, Old Norse vita, Gothic witan to know; akin to Latin vidēre, Greek ideîn to see, Sanskrit vidati (he) knows. See wot
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for To wit
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
to wit popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 88% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
to wit usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for to wit
adv to wit
- ie — Internet Explorer
- in other words — that is to say
- in plain english — in clear and simple language
- namely — that is to say; explicitly; specifically; to wit: an item of legislation, namely, the housing bill.