English
unwise
Unwise comes from Old English unwīs ‘unwise, foolish, ignorant, uninformed, insane’, from wīs ‘wise’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see, to know’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see, to know’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-s-ós‘knowledgeable’reconstructedextension of *weyd-
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīsaz‘wise, knowledgeable’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wīs‘wise’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150unwīs‘unwise, foolish, ignorant, uninformed, insane’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unwis
- Englishearliest quotation 1962unwise
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see, to know’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-s-ós‘knowledgeable’reconstructedextension of *weyd-
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīsaz‘wise, knowledgeable’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wīs‘wise’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150unwīs‘unwise, foolish, ignorant, uninformed, insane’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unwis
- Englishearliest quotation 1962unwise
Earliest quotation: 1962, A new Pullman era?: “If the kind of network we envisage is to…”
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, steroid, witty, tabloid, envious, prudence, revue, revise, druid, vide, guise, purview, voyeur, improvise, avis, purveyor, 118 more
through Proto-Germanic *wīsaz ‘wise, knowledgeable’
through Old English wīs ‘wise’
Today it means
adj Not wise; lacking wisdom
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyd- / unwise