Definition of wit

The word "wit" originated from the Old English word "hwīt," which meant "white" or "bright." It was often used as an attention-grabbing adjective to describe objects or people to make them stand out. As the use of the adjective evolved, "wit" also took on a wider meaning. In Middle English, it came to signify intelligence, understanding, and quickness of mind. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a Middle English text that suggests the same shift: "When Adam dveste all his world, / And left nothin in y Harvard but a berd ourek spare, / The foolish")) bec(""); / The ox wol episode es nyghtes nuère a ferre. / And so varnyly as Semyn y syke wombe, / Bifelde a nunne, konnyng pleseth nat with harmes yome, / And sedeth; "Whi this olde world faileth al this wyndowes? / "Y write vnvnyfyngs a crucial woode? / Y fynden Now sought you fayre by fendures blewe? / Y seke wyth Gregorius open Siynkes to the eere?" / Thenny moore ne fully moore orleght." The Middle English text depicts a scene in which the speaker expresses surprise and confusion at the state of the world after the biblical flood, rhetorically asking questions, and subtly raises broader theological issues regarding divine creation and human knowledge. This new meaning of "wit" persists today. In contemporary English, it is often defined as quickness of intelligence or perceptiveness in thinking and understanding things, particularly within the context of humor or laughter (Oxford English Dictionary). The evolution of the word from its original semantic field demonstrates the dynamic and complex nature of language, and how meaning can shift and change over time.