1wit1 (wɪt
)
Definitions
noun
- the talent or quality of using unexpected associations between contrasting or disparate words or ideas to make a clever humorous effect
- speech or writing showing this quality
- a person possessing, showing, or noted for such an ability, esp in repartee
- practical intelligence (esp in the phrase have the wit to)
- Scottish Northern England dialect information or knowledge (esp in the phrase get wit of)
- archaic mental capacity or a person possessing it
- obsolete the mind or memory
See also
witsWord Origin
Old English witt; related to Old Saxon giwitt, Old High German wizzi (German Witz ), Old Norse vit, Gothic witi. See wit²Synonyms
View thesaurus entry=
humour,
fun,
quips,
banter,
puns,
pleasantry,
repartee,
wordplay,
levity,
witticisms,
badinage,
jocularity,
facetiousness,
drollery,
raillery,
waggishness,
wittiness,
=
cleverness,
mind,
reason,
understanding,
sense,
brains,
smarts,
judgment,
perception,
wisdom,
insight,
common sense,
intellect,
comprehension,
ingenuity,
acumen,
nous,
discernment,
practical intelligence
2wit2 (wɪt)
Word Origin
Old English witan; related to Old High German wizzan (German wissen ), Old Norse vita, Latin vidēre to seeQuotations
"True wit is nature to advantage dress'd,What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed"
"Brevity is the soul of wit"
"Next to being witty yourself, the best thing is being able to quote another's wit"
"Wit is the epitaph of an emotion"
Translations
- British English:
wit
Wit is the ability to use words or ideas in an amusing and clever way.He writes beautifully and with great wit.wɪt NOUN He writes beautifully and with great wit.
- Spanish:
ingenio
nm
- French:
esprit
nm
- German: geistige Wendigkeit nf
- Chinese: 智力 n
- Arabic: فِطْنَة n
- Portuguese: perspicácia nf
- Russian: остроумие nnt
- Croatian: domišljatost nf
- Czech: důvtip nm
- Danish: vid nnt
- Dutch: scherpzinnigheid nf
- Finnish: nokkeluus n
- Greek: ευστροφία nf
- Italian: arguzia nf
- Japanese: 機知 n
- Korean: 재치 n
- Norwegian: vett nnt
- Polish: dowcip nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: perspicácia nf
- European Spanish:
ingenio
nm
- Swedish: intellekt nnt
- Thai: คำพูดหรือข้อเขียนที่แสดงเชาน์ปัญญา n
- Turkish: nükte n
- Vietnamese: sự hóm hỉnh n
Usage examples
It shouldn't be beyond the wit of yours truly to make a swap: Hillsden's manuscript inside the cover of my script.
, A Song at Twilight (1989)Freeman, too, is tremendous, giving the film a warmth and wit that would be sorely lacking otherwise.
Maxim (2005)Nevertheless, when travelling a long way from home, where there are different customs, use your wit and caution.
Irish Times (2002)They are pleasing, partly because they are beautifully drawn and designed and filled with wit and visual jokes.
Glasgow Herald (2001)I refer to Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, the nineteenth-century painter, and Alexander Pope the eighteenth-century wit and writer.
, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)