wit

I. verb (wist; witting; present first & third singular wot) Etymology: Middle English witen (1st & 3d singular present wot, past wiste), from Old English witan (1st & 3d singular present wāt, past wisse, wiste); akin to Old High German wizzan to know, Latin vidēre to see, Greek eidenai to know, idein to see Date: before 12th century 1. archaic know 2. archaic to come to know ; learn II. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German wizzi knowledge, Old English witan to know Date: before 12th century 1. a. mind, memory b. reasoning power ; intelligence 2. a. sense 2a — usually used in plural <

alone and warming his five wits, the white owl in the belfry sits — Alfred Tennyson

> b. (1) mental soundness ; sanity — usually used in plural (2) mental capability and resourcefulness ; ingenuity 3. a. astuteness of perception or judgment ; acumen b. the ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse c. (1) a talent for banter or persiflage (2) a witty utterance or exchange d. clever or apt humor 4. a. a person of superior intellect ; thinker b. an imaginatively perceptive and articulate individual especially skilled in banter or persiflage Synonyms: wit, humor, irony, sarcasm, satire, repartee mean a mode of expression intended to arouse amusement. wit suggests the power to evoke laughter by remarks showing verbal felicity or ingenuity and swift perception especially of the incongruous <

a playful wit

>. humor implies an ability to perceive the ludicrous, the comical, and the absurd in human life and to express these usually without bitterness <

a sense of humor

>. irony applies to a manner of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is seemingly expressed <

the irony of the title

>. sarcasm applies to expression frequently in the form of irony that is intended to cut or wound <

given to heartless sarcasm

>. satire applies to writing that exposes or ridicules conduct, doctrines, or institutions either by direct criticism or more often through irony, parody, or caricature <

a satire on the Congress

>. repartee implies the power of answering quickly, pointedly, or wittily <

a dinner guest noted for repartee

>.