wis1t

[ME. wis, certain, sure, for certain, to wi e, certainly, mid wi e, with certainty; Icel. vi , certain, = Sw. vi , certain ( vi t, certainly), = Dan. vis, certain ( vist, certainly); in AS. D. and G. the word appears with a prefix, AS. gewis = D. gewis = G. gewi , certain, certainly: see wis2, wis3, iwis.] Certain; sure: especially in the phrases to wi e, for certain, certainly; mid wi e, with certainty. That wite thu to wi e. Legend of St. Catherine (ed. Morton), 1. 1543. wis2t, adv. [Early mod. E. (dial.) wu e; wise power of judging what is best in ends to be pursued or in means for attaining those ends. Prudence is sometimes the power of judging what are the best means for attaining desired ends; it may be a word or action, or it may be simply the power to avoid danger. It implies deliberation and care, whether in acting or refraining from action. Wisdom chooses not only the best means but also the best ends; it is thus far higher than prudence, which understanding of the Middle English adverb may by choosing wrong ends go altogether astray; hence iwis, often written i - wis, and in Middle English manuscripts i wis, I wis, whence it has been taken as the pronoun I with a verb wis, vaguely regarded as connected with wit (which has a preterit wist ). See iwis, and, for the real verb, IMG:content-2465.png:[blocks in formation] OFries. wisdom = MD. wijsdom = OHG. MHG. wistuom , wisdom, knowledge, judgment, G. wei thum , knowledge, = Icel. visdomr = Sw. Dan. visdom, wisdom), Than seide the i, be comen a ent, the i wolde counseile with Merlyn, that hadde grete wisedom . Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 95. The beste wysdom that I Can ys to doe well & drede no man. Booke of Precedence (E. E. T. S.), extra ser., i. 68. That which moveth God to work is goodne , and that which order eth his work is wisdom , and that which perfect eth his work is power. Hooker . is used in the Bible for piety. As compared with knowledge, it sees more deeply into the heart of things and more broadly and comprehensively sums up relations, draws conclusions, and acts upon them; hence a man may abound in knowledge and be very deficient in wisdom, or he may have a practical wisdom with a comparatively small stock of knowledge. Discretion is the power to judge critically what is correct and proper, sometimes without suggesting action, but more often in view of action proposed or po ible. Like prudence the word implies great caution, and takes for granted that a man will not act contrary to what he knows. Providence looks much further ahead than prudence or discretion, and plans and acts according to what it sees. It may be remarked that provision, which is from the same root as providence and pru dence, is primarily a word of action, while they are only secondarily so. Forecast is a grave word for looking care fully forward to the consequences of present situations and decisions; it implies, like all these words except knowledge, that one will act according to what he can make out of the future. See cautious, astute, and genius. I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of Prov. viii. 12. IMG:content-2466.png:[blocks in formation] Men of gud dyscretyowne Suld excuse and loue Huchowne, That cunnand wes in literature. Wyntown, quoted in Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), [Pref., p. xxv. This was your providence , Your wisdom , to elect this gentleman, Your excellent forecast in the man, your knowledge! Fletcher, Rule a Wife, iii. 1. wisdom-tooth (wiz'dom-töth), n. The last molar tooth on either side of each jaw. It appears ordinarily between the ages of 20 and 25, presumably years of discretion (whence the name). Also technically called dens sapient iæ. Also wit -tooth. It seems to me in these days they're all born with their wisdom- teeth cut and their whiskers growed. Whyte Melville, White Rose, II. xxvi. When I arraigned the wisdom of Providence, I only wisel (wiz), a. [ wis = IMG:content-2467.png:[blocks in formation] Do, my good fools, my honest pious coxcombs, My wary fools too! have I caught your wisdoms ? Fletcher, Wife for a a Month, iv. 1. 4. A wise saying or act; a wise thing. They which do eate or drinke, hauyng those wisdomes euer in sighte,.. may su itate some disputation or reasonynge wherby some part of tyme shall be saued wolde be idely consumed. whiche els. Sir T. Elyot , The Govern our, ii. 3. One of her many wisdoms . Mrs. H. Jackson , Ramona, i. 5. Skill; skilfulne . And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom , and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. Ex. xxx i. 3. [In Scripture the word is sometimes specifically used, especially in Paul's Epistles, in an opprobrious sense to designate the theosophical speculations (1 Cor. i. 19, 20) or rhetorical arts (1 Cor. ii. 5) current among the Greeks and Romans in the first century; sometimes in a good sense to designate spiritual perception of, accompanied with obedience to, the divine law (Prov. iii. 13; Acts vi. 3). Sometimes (as in Prov. viii.) it has personal attributes a igned to it.] Book of Wisdom of Jesus. See Ecclesiastic us. - Book of Wisdom of Solomon, one of the deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament. (See deuterocanonical and Apocrypha.) Tradition ascribes its authorship to Solomon; but by most modern Protestant theologians it is attributed to an Alexandrian Jew of the first or second century B. C. The shorter title Wisdom, or Book of Wisdom, is commonly applied to this book, but not to Ecclesiastic us. Abbreviated Wisd. - Salt of wisdom. Same as sal alembroth (which see, under sal1 ). = Syn. 1. Know ledge, Prudence, Wisdom, Discretion, Providence, Forecast, Provision. Knowledge has several steps, the tion of facts, the accumulation of facts, and familiarity by experience, but it does not include action, nor the OS. OFries. wis = D. wijs = MLG. wis, LG. wis = OHG. wis, wis i, MHG. wis, wise, G. weise = Icel. vi = Sw. Dan. vis = Goth. we is (in comp. unweis, unwise), wise; prob. orig. * wits a, * witta, with pp. formative, from the root of AS. witan, etc., E. wit1, know: see wit1.] 1. Having the power of discerning and judging rightly, or of discriminating between what is true and what is false, between that which is right, fit, and proper and that which is unsuitable, injudicious, and wrong; po e ed of discernment, discretion, and judgment: as, a wise prince; a wise magistrate. Mat. xxv. 2. Five of them were wise , and five were foolish. We, ignorant of ourselves, Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers Deny us for our good. Shak., A. and C., ii. 1. 6. A wise man Accepts all fair occasions of advancement; Flies no commodity for fear of danger, Ventures and gains, lives easily, drinks good wine, Fares neatly, is richly cloath'd, in worthiest company. T. Tomkis (?), Albumazar, ii. 2. I am foolish old May berry, and yet I can be wise May berry, too. Dekker and Webster , Northward Ho, i. 1. You read of but one wise Man, and all that he knew was, that he knew nothing. Congreve, Old Bachelor, i. 1. 2. Proper to a wise man; sage; grave; ser i ous. One rising, eminent, In wise deport, spake much of right and wrong. Milton , P. L., xi. 666. 3. Having knowledge; knowing; intelligent; enlightened; learned; erudite. Bote ther were fewe men so wys that couthe the wei thider, Bote bustelyng forth as bestes ouer valeyes and hulles, For while the i wente here owen wille the i wente alle amys. Piers Plowman (A), vi. 4. Thou shalbe wisest of wit, - this wete thou for so the,- And know all the conyng that kyndly is for men. Destruction of Troy (E. E. Τ. 8.), 1. 2411. Where ignorance is bli , 'Tis folly to be wise . Gray, On a Distant Prospect of Eton College. 4. Practically or experimentally knowing; experienced; versed or skilled; dexterous; cunning; subtle; specifically, skilled in some hid The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: The Century dictionary IMG:content-2469.png:[blocks in formation] I pray you tell where the wise man the conjuror dwells. Peele, Old Wives' Tale. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. Jer. iv. 22. In these nice sharp quillets of the law, Good faith, I am no wiser than a daw. Shak ., 1 Hen. VI., ii. 4. 18. rection. Ye ken weel eneugh there's mony o' them wadna mind a baubee the weising a ball through the Prince him sell. Scott , Waverley, lviii. 2. To turn; incline; twist. Weize your sell a wee easel-ward - a wee mair yet to that ither stane. Scott , Antiquary, vii. which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. 2 Tim. iii. 15. 6. Dictated, directed, or guided by wisdom; containing wisdom; judicious: as, a wise saying; a wise scheme or plan; wise conduct or direction; a wise determination. The justice... Full of wise saws and modern instances. Shak., As you Like it, ii. 7. 156. May,... spite of praise and scorn, Attain the wise indifference of the wise. Tennyson, Dedication. Never the wiser, without information or advice; still in utter ignorance. The Pretender, or Duke of Cambridge, may Loth be land ed, and I never the wiser. Swift , To Mi Vanhomrigh, June 8, 1714. The seven wise men of Greece, the seven sages. See sagel, n. - To make it wiset, to make it a matter of deliberation. Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys. Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 785. Wise woman. (a) A woman skilled in hidden arts; a witch; a fortune-teller. They call her a wise - woman , but I think her An arrant witch. B. Jonson, Sad Shepherd, i. 2. Supposing, according to popular fame, Wise woman and Witch to be the same. Hood, Tale of a Trumpet. (b) A midwife. Scott. =Syn. 1. Sagacious, discerning, oracular, long-headed. See wisdom.-6. Sound, solid, philosophical.