A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

widdershins --- 1513, chiefly Scottish, originally "contrary to the course of the sun or a clock" (movement in this direction considered unlucky), probably from M.L.G. weddersinnes, lit. "against the way" (i.e. "in the opposite direction"), from widersinnen "to go against," from wider "against" (see with) + sinnen "to travel, go," from O.H.G. sinnen, related to sind "journey" (see send).

wide --- O.E. wid, from P.Gmc. *widas (cf. O.S., O.Fris. wid, O.N. viðr, Du. wijd, O.H.G. wit, Ger. weit), perhaps from PIE *wi-ito-, from base *wi- "apart, away." Wide open "unguarded, exposed to attack" (1915) originally was in boxing, etc. Wide awake (adj.) is first recorded 1818; fig. sense of "alert, knowing" is attested from 1833. Widespread is recorded from 1705.

widgeon --- migratory wild duck, 1513, perhaps from some variant of Fr. vigeon, which some trace to L. vipionem (nom. vipio), "a kind of small crane," a Balearic word, perhaps imitative. OED, however, finds this all "very dubious."

widget --- gadget, small manufactured item, c.1920, Amer.Eng., probably an alteration of gadget, perhaps based on which it.

widow --- O.E. widewe, widuwe, from P.Gmc. *widewo (cf. O.S. widowa, O.Fris. widwe, M.Du., Du. weduwe, Du. weeuw, O.H.G. wituwa, Ger. Witwe, Goth. widuwo), from PIE adj. *widhewo (cf. Skt. vidhuh "lonely, solitary," vidhava "widow;" Avestan vithava, L. vidua, O.C.S. vidova, Rus. vdova, O.Ir. fedb, Welsh guedeu "widow;" Pers. beva, Gk. eitheos "unmarried man;" L. viduus "bereft, void"), from base *weidh- "to separate" (cf. second element in L. di-videre "to divide;" see with). As a prefix to a name, attested from 1576. Meaning "short line of type" (especially at the top of a column) is 1904 print shop slang. The verb is attested from c.1300. Widower is first attested 1362. Widow's mite is from Mark xii.43. Widow's peak is from the belief that hair growing to a point on the forehead is an omen of early widowhood, suggestive of the "peak" of a widow's hood. Widow maker "anything lethally dangerous" first recorded 1945, originally among loggers, in reference to dead trees, etc. The widow bird (1747) so-called in ref. to the long black tail feathers of the males, suggestive of widows' veils.

width --- 1627, formed on model of breadth, and replacing wideness. Johnson (1755) calls it "a low word."

wield --- O.E. weldan (Mercian), wieldan, wealdan (W.Saxon) "to govern, possess, have control over" (class VII strong verb; past tense weold, pp. gewealden), merged with weak verb wyldan, both from P.Gmc. *wal-t- (cf. O.S., Goth. waldan, O.Fris. walda "to govern, rule," O.N. valda "to rule, wield, to cause," O.H.G. waltan, Ger. walten "to rule, govern"), probably from PIE *waldh- (cf. O.C.S. vlado "to rule," vlasti "power;" Lith. veldu "to rule, possess"), from base *wal- "to be strong, to rule" (see valiant).

wiener --- 1904, shortening of wienerwurst (1889), from Ger. Wiener "of Vienna" (from Wien "Vienna," from L. Vindo-bona, from Gaulish vindo-, from Celt. vindo- "white;" cf. O.Ir. find, Welsh gwyn "white;" see Gwendolyn) + Wurst "sausage." Clipped form wienie is attested from 1911. Extensive pejorative senses developed from its penis-like shape.

wife --- O.E. wif "woman," from P.Gmc. *wiban (cf. O.S., O.Fris. wif, O.N. vif, Dan., Swed. viv, M.Du., Du. wijf, O.H.G. wib, Ger. Weib), of uncertain origin. Some proposed PIE roots include *weip- "to twist, turn, wrap," perhaps with sense of "veiled person" (see vibrate); or *ghwibh-, a proposed root meaning "shame," also "pudenda," but the only examples of it are wife and Tocharian (a lost IE language of central Asia) kwipe, kip "female pudenda." The modern sense of "female spouse" began as a specialized sense in O.E.; the general sense of "woman" is preserved in midwife, old wives' tale, etc. M.E. sense of "mistress of a household" survives in housewife; and later restricted sense of "tradeswoman of humble rank" in fishwife. Du. wijf now means, in slang, "girl, babe," having softened somewhat from earlier sense of "bitch." Wife-swapping is attested from 1959.

Wiffle --- hollow, perforated plastic ball, registered trademark name (The Wiffle Ball Inc., Shelton, Connecticut, U.S.), attested from 1954. According to the company, designed in 1953 by David N. Mullany "in response to a lack of field space and numerous broken windows by his baseball-playing son," the name based on whiff (q.v.), baseball slang for a missed swing.

wig --- 1675, shortened form of periwig. Meaning "person who wears a wig (professionally)" is from 1828. The verb meaning "to behave hysterically" (usually with out) is attested from 1955, from notion in to flip one's wig. Cf. dash my wig!, a former mild imprecation (1797), also wigs on the green (1856), Ir. colloquial for "a fight or rumble" (since wigs are likely to get detached from owners in such an event).

wiggle (v.) --- c.1225, perhaps from M.Du. or M.Flem. wigelen, frequentative of wiegen "to rock," from wiege "cradle" (cf. O.H.G. wiga, Ger. Wiege, O.Fris. widze), from PIE base *wegh- "to move" (see weigh). The noun is attested from 1816.

wight --- O.E. wiht "living being, creature," from P.Gmc. *wekhtiz (cf. O.S. wiht "thing, demon," Du. wicht "a little child," O.H.G. wiht "thing, creature, demon," Ger. Wicht "creature, infant," O.N. vettr "thing, creature," Swed. vätte "spirit of the earth, gnome," Goth. waihts "something"). The only apparent cognate outside Gmc. is O.C.S. vešti "a thing." Not related to the Isle of Wight, which is from L. Vectis (c.150), originally Celtic, possibly meaning "place of the division."

wigwam --- 1628, from Algonquian (probably Eastern Abenaki) wikewam "a dwelling," said to mean lit. "their house;" also said to be found in such formations as wikiwam and Ojibwa wiigiwaam and Delaware wiquoam.

wilco --- 1946, in two-way radio slang, abbreviation and conflation of will comply.

wild (adj.) --- O.E. wilde "in the natural state, uncultivated, undomesticated," from P.Gmc. *wilthijaz (cf. O.S. wildi, O.N. villr, O.Fris. wilde, Du. wild, O.H.G. wildi, Ger. wild, Goth. wilþeis "wild," Ger. Wild (n.) "game"), probably from PIE *ghwelt- (cf. Welsh gwyllt "untamed"), related to the base of L. ferus (see fierce).

wild (v.) --- to run wild, O.E. awildian (see wild (adj.)). Wilding in the teen gang sense first recorded 1989.

wild card --- 1927, in fig. sense, from literal use in poker, from wild (adj.) + card (n.). Sports team sense first recorded 1950s.

wild goose chase --- 1592, first attested in "Romeo and Juliet," where it evidently is a fig. use of an earlier (but unrecorded) literal sense in ref. to a kind of follow-the-leader steeplechase.

wildcat (n.) --- 1418, from wild (adj.) + cat. Meaning "savage woman" is recorded from 1573; sense of "one who forms rash projects" is attested from 1812. The adj. in the financial speculative sense is first recorded 1838, Amer.Eng.

wildebeest --- 1838, from S. African Du. (in modern Afrikaans wildebees, pl. wildebeeste), lit. "wild beast," from Du. wild "wild" (see wild (adj.)) + beest "beast, ox" (in S.African Du. "steer, cattle"), from M.Du. beeste, from O.Fr. beste "beast" (see beast).

wilderness --- c.1200, from O.E. wildeoren "wild, savage," from wildern (adj.) "wild, savage" (from wilde "wild" + deor "animal;" see deer) + -ness. Cf. Du. wildernis, Ger. Wildernis, though the usual form is Wildnis.

wildfire --- O.E., from wild (adj.) + fire (n.). Originally in ref. to spreading skin diseases; meaning "destructive fire" is attested from 1122; fig. sense is recorded from c.1300.

wile --- 1154, wil "wile, trick," perhaps from O.N.Fr. *wile (O.Fr. guile), or directly from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. vel "trick, craft, fraud," vela "defraud"). Perhaps ultimately related to O.E. wicca "wizard" (see Wicca). Lighter sense of "amorous or playful trick" is from 1600. Wily is attested from c.1300.

Wilhelmine --- 1931, "pertaining to the reign of Wilhelm II," emperor of Germany 1888-1918, from Ger. Wilhelm (see William).

will (n.) --- O.E. will, willa, from P.Gmc. *weljon (cf. O.S. willio, O.N. vili, O.Fris. willa, Du. wil, O.H.G. willio, Ger. wille, Goth. wilja "will"), related to *willan "to wish" (see will (v.)). The meaning "written document expressing a person's wishes about disposition of property after death" is first recorded c.1380.

will (v.) --- O.E. *willan, wyllan "to wish, desire, want" (past tense wolde), from P.Gmc. *welljan (cf. O.S. willian, O.N. vilja, O.Fris. willa, Du. willen, O.H.G. wellan, Ger. wollen, Goth. wiljan "to will, wish, desire," Goth. waljan "to choose"), from PIE *wel-/*wol- "be pleasing" (cf. Skt. vrnoti "chooses, prefers," varyah "to be chosen, eligible, excellent," varanam "choosing;" Avestan verenav- "to wish, will, choose;" Gk. elpis "hope;" L. volo, velle "to wish, will, desire;" O.C.S. voljo, voliti "to will," veljo, veleti "to command;" Lith. velyti "to wish, favor," pa-vel-mi "I will," viliuos "I hope;" Welsh gwell "better"). Cf. also O.E. wel "well," lit. "according to one's wish;" wela "well-being, riches." The use as a future auxiliary was already developing in O.E. The implication of intention or volition distinguishes it from shall, which expresses or implies obligation or necessity. Contracted forms, especially after pronouns, began to appear 16c., as in sheele for "she will." The form with an apostrophe is from 17c.

willful --- c.1200, "strong-willed," from will (n.) + full. Willfully is late O.E. wilfullice "of one's own free will, voluntarily;" bad sense of "on purpose" is attested from c.1374.

William --- masc. proper name, from O.N.Fr. Willaume, Norman form of Fr. Guillaume, of Gmc. origin (cf. O.H.G. Willahelm), from willio "will" + helma "helmet." After the Conquest, the most popular given name in England until supplanted by John.

willies --- 1896, "spell of nervousness," perhaps from the woollies, a dialectal term for "nervous uneasiness," probably in reference to the itchiness of wool garments.

willing --- O.E. willendliche; see will (v.).

will-o'-the-wisp --- 1661, earlier Will with the wisp (1608), from the masc. proper name Will + wisp "bundle of hay or straw used as a torch."

willow --- O.E. welig, from P.Gmc. *walg- (cf. O.S. wilgia, M.Du. wilghe, Du. wilg), probably from PIE *wel- "to turn, roll," with derivatives referring to curved, enclosing objects. The change in form to -ow (14c.) paralleled that of bellow and fellow. The more typical Gmc. word for the tree is represented by withy. Willowy "flexible and graceful" is attested from 1791.

willy-nilly --- 1608, contraction of will I, nill I, or will he, nill he, or will ye, nill ye, lit. "with or without the will of the person concerned." The nill is from O.E. nyllan, from ne "no" (see no) + *willan "will" (v.). Latin expressed a similar idea in nolens volens.

wilt --- 1691, probably an alteration of welk "to wilt," probably from M.Du. or M.L.G. welken "to wither," cognate with O.H.G. irwelhen "become soft."

wily --- c.1300; see wile.

wimp (n.) --- 1920 (but not attested again until 1960), perhaps a clipped form of whimper (cf whimp, 1549), perhaps influenced by J. Wellington Wimpy, comparatively unaggressive character in "Popeye" comics. Wimpy (adj.) is from 1967.

wimple --- head covering for women, especially worn by nuns, O.E. wimpel, from P.Gmc. *wimpilaz (cf. O.S. wimpal, O.Fris. wimpel, M.Du., Du. wimpel, O.H.G. wimpal, Ger. wimpel, O.N. vimpill), of obscure origin. O.Fr. guimple (Fr. guimpe) is a Gmc. loan-word.

win (v.) --- fusion of O.E. winnan "struggle for, work at, strive, fight," and gewinnan "to gain or succeed by struggling, to win," both from P.Gmc. *wenwanan (cf. O.S. winnan, O.N. vinna, O.Fris. winna, Du. winnen "to gain, win," Dan. vinde "to win," O.H.G. winnan "to strive, struggle, fight," Ger. gewinnen "to gain, win," Goth. gawinnen "to suffer, toil"). Perhaps related to wish, or from PIE *van- "overcome, conquer." Sense of "to be victorious" is recorded from c.1300. The noun in O.E. meant "labor, strife, conflict;" modern sense of "a victory in a game or contest" is first attested 1862, from the verb. Breadwinner (see bread) preserves the sense of "toil" in O.E. winnan. Phrase you can't win them all (1954) first attested in Raymond Chandler.

wince (v.) --- c.1225, winch, probably from O.N.Fr. *wenchier (in O.Fr. guenchir "to turn aside, avoid"), from Frank. *wenkjan (cf. O.H.G. wankon "to stagger, totter," O.N. vakka "to stray, hover"). Originally of horses. Modern form is attested from c.1290.

winch (n.) --- O.E. wince, from P.Gmc. *winkjo-, from PIE *weng- (see wink (v.)). The verb meaning "to hoist with a winch" is recorded from 1529.

Winchester --- city in Hampshire, capital of Wessex and later of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, O.E. Uintancæstir (c.730), from Ouenta (c.150), from Venta, a pre-Celtic name perhaps meaning "favored or chief place" + O.E. ceaster "Roman town." The meaning "kind of breech-loading repeating rifle" is from the name of Oliver F. Winchester (1810-80), U.S. manufacturer.

wind (n.) --- air in motion, O.E. wind, from P.Gmc. *wendas (cf. O.S., O.Fris., Du. wind, O.N. vindr, O.H.G. wind, Ger. Wind, Goth. winds), from PIE *we-nt-o- "blowing," from base *we- "to blow" (cf. Skt. va-, Gk. aemi-, Goth. waian, O.E. wawan, O.H.G. wajan, Ger. wehen, O.C.S. vejati "to blow;" Skt. vatah, Avestan vata-, Hittite huwantis, L. ventus, O.C.S. vetru, Lith. vejas "wind;" Lith. vetra "tempest, storm;" O.Ir. feth "air;" Welsh gwynt, Bret. gwent "wind"). Normal pronunciation evolution made this word rhyme with kind and rind (Donne rhymes it with mind), but shifted to a short vowel 18c., probably from influence of windy, where the short vowel is natural. A sad loss for poets, who now must rhyme it only with sinned and a handful of weak words. Symbolic of emptiness and vanity since c.1290.

wind (v.) --- move by turning and twisting, O.E. windan "to turn, twist, wind" (class III strong verb; past tense wand, pp. wunden), from P.Gmc. *wendanan (cf. O.S. windan, O.N. vinda, O.Fris. winda, Du. winden, O.H.G. wintan, Ger. winden, Goth. windan "to wind"), from PIE *wendh- "to turn, wind, weave" (cf. L. viere "twist, plait, weave," vincire "bind," Lith. vyti "twist, wind"). Related to wend, which is its causative form, and to wander. Wind down "come to a conclusion" is recorded from 1952; wind up "come to a conclusion" is from 1825. Winding sheet "shroud of a corpse" is attested from c.1420.

windbag --- 1470, "bellows for an organ," from wind (n.) + bag. Fig. sense of "person who talks too much" is attested from 1827.

wind-break --- row of trees, etc., to break the force of the wind, 1861, Amer.Eng. Windbreaker as a type of jacket to keep off the wind (originally a kind of leather shirt) is first attested 1918.

windfall --- 1464, from wind (n.) + fall. Originally literal, in ref. to wood or fruit blown down by the wind, and thus free to all. Fig. sense of "unexpected acquisition" is recorded from 1542.

windhover --- kestrel, 1674, from wind (n.) + hover; so called from the bird's habit of hovering in the wind. An earlier name for it was windfucker (1599).

windlass --- device for raising weights by winding a rope round a cylinder, c.1400, alteration of wyndase (1293), from Anglo-Fr. windas, and directly from a Scand. source such as O.N. vindass, from vinda "to wind" (see wind (v.)) + ass "pole, beam."

windmill (n.) --- 1297, from wind (n.) + mill. Cf. Ger. Windmühle, Du. windmolen, Fr. moulin à vent (13c.). Verb meaning "to swing the arms wildly" is recorded from 1927.

window --- c.1225, lit. "wind eye," from O.N. vindauga, from vindr "wind" (see wind (n.)) + auga "eye." Replaced O.E. eagþyrl, lit. "eye-hole," and eagduru, lit. "eye-door." Originally an unglazed hole in a roof, most Gmc. languages adopted a version of L. fenestra to describe the glass version, and Eng. used fenester as a parallel word till mid-16c. Window dressing is first recorded 1790; fig. sense is from 1898. Window seat is attested from 1778. Window-shopping is recorded from 1922. Window of opportunity (1979) is from earlier fig. use in U.S. space program, e.g. launch window (1965).

windpipe --- trachea, 1530, from wind (n.) + pipe.

windshield --- 1902, from wind (n.) + shield. U.S. alternative to British windscreen (attested from 1905 in this sense).

Windsor --- town in Berkshire, O.E. Windlesoran (c.1060), lit. "bank or slope with a windlass" (O.E. *windels). Site of a royal residence, hence Windsor chair (1724), Windsor tie (1895), Windsor knot in a necktie (1953).

windsurf --- 1969, from wind (n.) + surf (v.).

wine --- O.E. win, from P.Gmc. *winam (cf. O.S., O.Fris., O.H.G. win, O.N. vin, Du. wijn, Ger. Wein), an early borrowing from L. vinum "wine," from PIE *win-o-, from an Italic noun related to words for "wine" in Gk. (oinos), Armenian, Hittite, and non-I.E. Georgian and West Semitic (cf. Arabic wain, Heb. yayin), probably from a lost Mediterranean language word *win-/*woin- "wine." Also from L. vinum are O.C.S. vino, Lith. vynas, Welsh gwin, O.Ir. fin. Essentially the same word as vine (q.v.). The verb meaning "entertain with wine" is attested from 1862. Winery first recorded 1882, Amer.Eng. Wine snob is recorded from 1951.

winebibber --- drunkard, 1535, loan-translation of Ger. Weinsäufer (Luther), from Wein "wine" + Säufer "bibber."

Winfred --- masc. proper name, from O.E. Winfrið, lit. "friend of peace," from wine "friend" (related to winnan "to strive, struggle, fight;" see win) + friðu "peace" (see free)

wing (n.) --- c.1175, wenge, from O.N. vængr "wing of a bird, aisle, etc." (cf. Dan., Swed. vinge "wing"), of unknown origin, perhaps from a P.Gmc. *we-ingjaz and ult. from PIE base *we- "blow" (cf. O.E. wawan "to blow;" see wind (n.)). Replaced O.E. feðra (pl.) "wings" (see feather). The meaning "either of two divisions of a political party, army, etc." is first recorded c.1400; theatrical sense is from 1790. Verbal phrase wing it (1885) is from theatrical slang sense of an actor learning his lines in the wings before going onstage, or else not learning them at all and being fed by a prompter in the wings. The verb to wing "shoot a bird in the wing" is from 1802. The slang sense of to earn (one's) wings is 1940s, from the wing-shaped badges awarded to air cadets on graduation. To be under (someone's) wing "protected by (someone)" is recorded from c.1230. Phrase on a wing and a prayer is title of a 1943 song about landing a damaged aircraft.

wingding --- 1927, originally hobo slang, "counterfeit seizures induced to attract sympathy;" meaning "energetic celebration" first recorded 1949.

wingnut --- nut with flared sides for turning with the thumb and forefinger; so called for its shape. Meaning "weird person" recorded by 1989, probably not from the literal sense but from the secondary sense of nut, influenced perhaps by slang senses of wing in wing-ding "wild party," originally "fit, spasm" (1937). An earlier, British, sense of wingnut was "person with large, protruding ears" (1986).

wink (v.) --- O.E. wincian "to nod, wink," from P.Gmc. *wenkanan (cf. Du. wenken, O.H.G. winkan, Ger. winken), a gradational variant of the root of O.H.G. wankon "to stagger, totter," O.N. vakka "to stray, hover," from PIE *weng- "to bend, curve." The meaning "close an eye as a hint or signal" is first recorded c.1100; that of "close one's eyes to fault or irregularity" first attested c.1480. The noun is recorded from 1303; meaning "very brief moment of time" is attested from 1585.

winkle --- edible mollusk, 1585, shortening of periwinkle (2).

Winnebago --- Siouan people of eastern Wisconsin, 1766, from Potawatomi winepyekoha, lit. "person of dirty water," in allusion to the muddy or fish-clogged waters of the Fox River below Lake Winnebago. As a type of motor vehicle, attested from 1966.

Winnipeg --- originally the name of the lake, probably from Ojibwa (Algonquian) winipeg "dirty water;" cf. winad "it is dirty." Etymologically related to Winnebago.

winnow (v.) --- O.E. windwian, from wind "air in motion, paring down," see wind (n.). Cognate with O.N. vinza, O.H.G. winton "to fan, winnow," Goth. diswinþjan "to throw (grain) apart," L. vannus "winnowing fan."

wino --- 1915, from wine + suffix as in bucko (1833) and kiddo (1896).

winsome --- O.E. wynsum "agreeable, pleasant," from wynn "pleasure, delight" (cf. Ger. Wonne "joy, delight;" see win) + -sum "-some." Apparently surviving only in northern English dialect for 400 years until revived 18c. by Hamilton, Burns, and other Scot. poets.

winter --- O.E., "fourth season of the year," from P.Gmc. *wentruz (cf. O.Fris., Du. winter, O.S., O.H.G. wintar, Ger. winter, Dan., Swed. vinter, Goth. wintrus, O.N. vetr "winter"), possibly from PIE *wed-/*wod-/*ud- "wet" (see water), or from *wind- "white" (cf. Celt. vindo- "white"). The Anglo-Saxons counted years in "winters," cf. O.E. ænetre "one-year-old." O.N. Vetrardag, first day of winter, was the Saturday that fell between Oct. 10 and 16. The verb meaning "to pass the winter (in some place)" is recorded from 1382. Winterize is from 1938, on model of earlier summerize (1935). Wintergreen as a type of plant is recorded from 1548.

wipe (v.) --- O.E. wipan, from P.Gmc. *wipanan (cf. Dan. vippe, M.Du., Du. vippen, O.H.G. wifan "to swing"), from PIE *weip- "to turn, vacillate, tremble" (cf. L. vibrare "to shake;" see vibrate). The noun meaning "disposable absorbent tissue" is attested from 1971. Surfer slang produced wipeout (1962); sense of "destruction, defeat, a killing" is recorded from 1968.

wire (n.) --- O.E. wir "metal drawn out into a thread," from P.Gmc. *wiraz (cf. O.N. viravirka "filigree work," Swed. vira "to twist," O.H.G. wiara "fine gold work"), from PIE *wei- "to turn, twist, plait" (cf. O.Ir. fiar, Welsh gwyr "bent, crooked;" L. viere "to bend, twist," viriæ "bracelets," of Celtic origin). The verb meaning "to furnish with wires" is recorded from 1435. Wiretapping is recorded from 1904, from earlier wiretapper (1893). Wiry in the sense of "lean, tough" is first recorded 1808. Wired (adj.) "nervous, jittery" is from 1970s. Wirepuller in the political sense is 1848, Amer.Eng. Wiring "wires collectively," esp. "electrical wirework" is recorded from 1809.

wireless --- 1894, as a type of telegraph, from wire (n.) + -less. In ref. to radio broadcasting, attested from 1903, subsequently superseded by radio.

Wisconsin --- originally applied to the Wisconsin River; a native name of unknown origin. Early spellings include Mescousing and Wishkonsing.

wisdom --- O.E. wisdom, from wis (see wise (adj.)) + -dom. A common Gmc. compound (cf. O.S., O.Fris. wisdom, O.N. visdomr, O.H.G. wistuom "wisdom," Ger. Weistum "judicial sentence serving as a precedent"). Wisdom teeth so called from 1848 (earlier teeth of wisdom, 1668), a loan-translation of L. dentes sapientiæ, itself a loan-transl. of Gk. sophronisteres (used by Hippocrates, from sophron "prudent, self-controlled"), so called because they usually appear ages 17-25, when a person reaches adulthood.

wise (adj.) --- O.E. wis, from P.Gmc. *wisaz (cf. O.S., O.Fris. wis, O.N. viss, Du. wijs, Ger. weise "wise"), from pp. adj. *wittos of PIE base *woid-/*weid-/*wid- "to see," hence "to know" (see vision). Slang meaning "aware, cunning" first attested 1896. Related to the source of O.E. witan "to know, wit."

wise (n.) --- way of proceeding, manner, O.E. wise, ultimately from the same source as wise (adj.). Cf. O.S. wisa, O.Fris. wis, Dan. vis, M.Du. wise, Du. wijs, O.H.G. wisa, Ger. Weise "way, manner." Most common in Eng. now as a suffix. For sense evolution from "to see" to "way of proceeding," cf. cognate Gk. eidos "form, shape, kind," also "course of action." Ground sense is "to see/know the way."

wiseacre --- 1595, partial translation of M.Du. wijssegger "soothsayer" (with no derogatory connotation), probably altered by association with M.Du. segger "sayer" from O.H.G. wizzago "prophet," from wizzan "to know," from P.Gmc. *wit "know." The depreciatory sense of "one who pretends to know everything" may have come through confusion with obsolete Eng. segger "sayer," which also had a sense of "braggart" (c.1440).