wise

• IPA^(key): /waɪz/

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• Homophones: whys, wyes, Ys, why's
• Rhymes: -aɪz

From Middle English wis, wys, from Old English wīs (“wise”), from Proto-Germanic *wīsaz (“wise”), from Proto-Indo-European *weydstos, *weydtos, a participle form of *weyd-. Cognate with Dutch wijs, German weise, Norwegian and Swedish vis. Compare wit.

wise (comparative wiser or more wise, superlative wisest or most wise)

1. Showing good judgement or the benefit of experience.

   Storing extra food for the winter was a wise decision.

   They were considered the wise old men of the administration.

   "It is a profitable thing, if one is wise, to seem foolish" - Aeschylus

2. (colloquial, ironic) Disrespectful.

   Don't get wise with me!

3. (colloquial) Aware, informed.

   Be careful, the boss is wise.

• Objects: person, decision, advice, counsel, saying, adage, proverb etc.
• even though wise is an antonym of foolish, it does not mean smart or intelligent, both of which are antonyms of foolish.

• See Thesaurus:wise

• unwise
• foolish

wise (third-person singular simple present wises, present participle wising, simple past and past participle wised)

1. To become wise.
2. (ergative, slang) Usually with "up", to inform or learn.

   Mo wised him up about his situation.

   After Mo had a word with him, he wised up.

From Old English wīse, from Proto-Germanic *wīsō. Cognate with Dutch wijze, German Weise, Norwegian vis, Swedish visa, vis, Italian guisa, Spanish guisa. Compare -wise.

wise (plural wises)

1. (archaic) Way, manner, method.
   • 1481, William Caxton, The History Reynard the Fox

     In such wise that all the beasts, great and small, came to the court save Reynard the Fox.

   • 1850, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Burden of Nineveh, lines 2-5

     ... the prize

     Dead Greece vouchsafes to living eyes, —

     Her Art for ever in fresh wise

     From hour to hour rejoicing me.

   • 1866, Algernon Swinburne, A Ballad of Life, lines 28-30

     A riven hood was pulled across his eyes;

     The token of him being upon this wise

     Made for a sign of Lust.

   • 1926, J. S. Fletcher, Sea Fog, page 308

     And within a few minutes the rest of us were on our way too, judiciously instructed by Parkapple and the Brighton official, and disposed of in two taxi-cabs, the drivers of which were ordered to convey us to Rottingdean in such wise that each set his load of humanity at different parts of the village and at the same time that the bus was due to arrive at the hotel.

   • M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated by Mahadev Desai, Part I, chapter xviii:

     Meantime a serious question came up for discussion. […] The discussion arose somewhat in this wise. The President of the Society was Mr. Hills, proprietor of the Thames Iron Works. He was a puritan. It may be said that the existence of the Society depended practically on his financial assistance. Many members of the Committee were more or less his protégés. Dr. Allinson of vegetarian fame was also a member of the Committee. He was an advocate of the then new birth control movement, and preached its methods among the working classes. Mr. Hills regarded these methods as cutting at the root of morals. He thought that the Vegetarian Society had for its object not only dietetic but also moral reform, and that a man of Dr. Allinson's anti-puritanic views should not be allowed to remain in the Society. A motion was therefore brought for his removal.

• -wise

From Middle English wisen (“to advise, direct”), from Old English wisian (“to show the way, guide, direct”), from Proto-Germanic *wīsaną, *wīsijaną (“to show the way, dispense knowledge”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”). Cognate with Dutch wijzen (“to indicate, point out”), German weisen (“to show, indicate”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål vise (“to show”), Norwegian Nynorsk visa (“to show”).

wise (third-person singular simple present wises, present participle wising, simple past and past participle wised)

1. (dialectal) to instruct
2. (dialectal) to advise; induce
3. (dialectal) to show the way, guide
4. (dialectal) to direct the course of, pilot
5. (dialectal) to cause to turn

wise

1. Contraction of wi se.

wise

1. Alternative form of vice

• ƿīse

From Proto-Germanic *wīsō. Cognate with Dutch wijze, German Weise, Swedish vis, Italian guisa, Spanish guisa.

• IPA^(key): /ˈwiːse/, [ˈwiːze]

wīse f

1. way, manner

   Iċ ġeseah þē sweltan on ǣlċe mihtelīċe wīsan.

   I've watched you die in every possible way.