wise

wise
I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wīse; akin to Old High German wīsa manner, Greek eidos form, idein to see — more at wit Date: before 12th century manner, way <
in any wise
>
II. adjective (wiser; wisest) Etymology: Middle English wis, from Old English wīs; akin to Old High German wīs wise, Old English witan to know — more at wit Date: before 12th century 1. a. characterized by wisdom ; marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment b. exercising or showing sound judgment ; prudent <
a wise investor
>
2. a. evidencing or hinting at the possession of inside information ; knowing b. possessing inside information <
the police got wise to his whereabouts
>
c. crafty, shrewd d. aware of or informed about a particular matter — usually used in the comparative in negative constructions with the <
was none the wiser about their plans
>
3. archaic skilled in magic or divination 4. insolent, smart-alecky, fresh <
a tough kid with a wise mouth
>
wisely adverbwiseness noun Synonyms: wise, sage, sapient, judicious, prudent, sensible, sane mean having or showing sound judgment. wise suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them <
wise beyond his tender years
>
. sage suggests wide experience, great learning, and wisdom <
the sage advice of my father
>
. sapient suggests great sagacity and discernment <
the sapient musings of an old philosopher
>
. judicious stresses a capacity for reaching wise decisions or just conclusions <
judicious parents using kindness and discipline in equal measure
>
. prudent suggests exercise of the restraint of sound practical wisdom and discretion <
a prudent decision to wait out the storm
>
. sensible applies to action guided and restrained by good sense and rationality <
a sensible woman who was not fooled by flattery
>
. sane stresses mental soundness, rationality, and levelheadedness <
remained sane even in times of crises
>
. III. verb (wised; wising) Date: 1905 transitive verb to give instruction or information to ; teach — usually used with up <
wise him up about procedures
>
intransitive verb to become informed or knowledgeable ; learn — used with up IV. transitive verb (wised; wising) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wīsian; akin to Old Norse vīsa to show the way, Old English wīs wise Date: before 12th century 1. chiefly Scottish a. direct, guide b. advise, persuade 2. chiefly Scottish to divert or impel in a given direction ; send

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wise — or WISE may refer to:* The adjectival form of wisdomMedia*WISE (AM), a radio station (1310 AM) licensed to Asheville, North Carolina, United States *WISE FM, a radio station (90.5 FM) licensed to Wise, Virginia, United States, repeating WVTF of… …   Wikipedia

  • WISE — ist der Name folgender Orte: Wise (North Carolina) Wise (Virginia) Wise County (Texas) Wise County (Virginia) Wise River, Montana Wise Township, Virginia Wise ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Bob Wise (* 1948), amerikanischer Politiker… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wise — ist: der Name folgender Orte: Wise (North Carolina) Wise (Virginia) Wise County (Texas) Wise County (Virginia) Wise River, Montana Wise Township (Michigan), Virginia Wise Township (North Dakota), North Dakota der Familienname folgender Personen:… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wise — Wise, a. [Compar. {Wiser}; superl. {Wisest}.] [OE. wis, AS. w[=i]s; akin to OS. & OFries. w[=i]s, D. wijs, G. weise, OHG. w[=i]s, w[=i]si, Icel. v[=i]ss, Sw. vis, Dan. viis, Goth. weis; akin to wit, v. i. See {Wit}, v., and cf. {Righteous},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • WISE — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Wise est un nom de famille notamment porté par : Robert Wise (1914 2005) est un réalisateur, producteur et metteur en scène américain Kirk Wise (1958 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • wise — wise·acre; wise·crack·er; wise; wise·ling; wise·ly; wise·ness; piece·wise; bend·wise; clock·wise; coast·wise; con·trari·wise; oth·er·wise; sun·wise; ar·ris·wise; breadth·wise; plank·wise; slant·ing·wise; un·wise·ly; …   English syllables

  • Wise — Wise, a. [OE. wise, AS. w[=i]se; akin to OS. w[=i]sa, OFries. w[=i]s, D. wijs, wijze, OHG. w[=i]sa, G. weise, Sw. vis, Dan. viis, Icel. [ o]?ruv[=i]s otherwise; from the root of E. wit; hence, originally, knowledge, skill. See {Wit}, v., and cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wise — wise1 [wīz] adj. wiser, wisest [ME wis < OE, akin to witan, to know, OHG wis, MDu wijs < PGmc * wisa , wise < IE * weid < base * w(e)di , to see, know > Sans vēdas, knowledge, Gr idris, knowing, L videre, to see] 1. having or… …   English World dictionary

  • wise — wise, sage, sapient, judicious, prudent, sensible, sane are comparable when they mean having or manifesting the power to recognize the best ends and the best means to attain those ends. Wise applies to one or the acts or views of one who is so… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • wise — Ⅰ. wise [1] ► ADJECTIVE 1) having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgement. 2) (wise to) informal aware of. ► VERB (wise up) informal ▪ become alert or aware. ● …   English terms dictionary

  • -wise — [ waız ] suffix 1. ) speaking of or referring to: used with many nouns, verbs, and adjectives: It was a poor show, talent wise (=speaking of talent). weather wise (=referring to the weather) 2. ) in the direction of: used with some nouns and… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”