English word origin

Etymology of wite

From Middle English wīten (“to accuse, reproach, punish, suspect”), Old English wītan (“to look, behold, see, guard, keep, impute or ascribe to, accuse, reproach, blame”), from Proto-West Germanic *wītan, from Proto-Germ

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To regard (someone) as guilty; to accuse; to blame; to fault. · To censure (someone); to mulct; to reproach. · To guard (something); to keep; to observe, preserve, or protect.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*weyd-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionwītenenm
Inherited-form mentionwītanang
Inherited-form mention*wītangmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*wītanągem-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "wīten",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to accuse, reproach, punish, suspect"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English wīten (“to accuse, reproach, punish, suspect”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "wītan",
        "4": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "Old English wītan (“to look, behold, see, guard, keep, impute or ascribe to, accuse, reproach, blame”)"
    },
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        "3": "*wītan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wītan"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*wītaną"
      },
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    }
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      "wīten",
      "witen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "wītan",
      "witan#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*wītan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/wītan"
    ],
    [
      "*wītaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wītaną"
    ],
    [
      "wīte",
      "wite#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To regard (someone) as guilty; to accuse; to blame; to fault.",
        "To censure (someone); to mulct; to reproach.",
        "To guard (something); to keep; to observe, preserve, or protect."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Blame; responsibility; guilt. · Punishment; penalty; fine; bote; mulct.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English wite (“guilt, blameworthiness, blame, wrongdoing, misdeed, offense, punishment, retribution, fine, bote, customary rent”), from Old English wīte (“punishment, pain, torment”), from Proto-West Germanic *wītī, from Proto-Germanic *wītiją, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, find, behold”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*weyd-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionwiteenm · guilt, blameworthiness, blame, wrongdoing, misdeed, offense, punishment, retribution, fine, bote, customary rent
Inherited-form mentionwīteang · punishment, pain, torment
Inherited-form mention*wītīgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*wītijągem-pro
Derivation mention*weyd-ine-pro · to see, find, behold

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "expansion": "Old English wīte (“punishment, pain, torment”)"
    },
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        "2": "gem-pro",
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      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*weyd-",
        "t": "to see, find, behold"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, find, behold”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "wite",
      "wite#Middle_English"
    ],
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    ]
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

verb

To go; go away; depart; perish; vanish.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English witen, from Old English wītan (“to see, accuse, go, depart”), from Proto-West Germanic *wītan, from Proto-Germanic *wītaną, from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, find, behold”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionwitenenm
Inherited-form mentionwītanang · to see, accuse, go, depart
Inherited-form mention*wītangmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*wītanągem-pro
Derivation mention*weyd-ine-pro · to see, find, behold

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "wītan",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/weyd-"
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  ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for wite →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-d2l0ZQ