wisdom
See also: Wisdom
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English wisdom, from Old English wīsdōm (“wisdom”), from Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz (“wisdom”), corresponding to wise + -dom or wise + doom (“judgement”). Cognate with Scots wisdom, wysdom (“wisdom”), West Frisian wiisdom (“wisdom”), Dutch wijsdom (“wisdom”), German Weistum (“legal sentence”), Danish/Norwegian/Swedish visdom (“wisdom”), Icelandic vísdómur (“wisdom”).
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: wĭzʹdəm, IPA(key): /ˈwɪzdəm/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪzdəm
- Hyphenation: wis‧dom
Noun
editwisdom (countable and uncountable, plural wisdoms)
- (uncountable) An element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise.
- (countable) A piece of wise advice.
- The discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good.
- The ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way, especially to different situations from that in which the knowledge was gained.
- The ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding.
- (theology) The ability to know and apply spiritual truths.
- 1652, Eugenius Philalethes, The Fame and Confeſſion of the Fraternity of…the Roſie Croſs, pages 1-2 of the preface:
- Wiſdom…is to a man an infinite Treaſure, for ſhe is the Breath of the Power of God, and a pure Influence that floweth from the Glory of the Almighty; ſhe is the Brightneſs of Eternal Light, and an undefiled Mirror of the Majeſty of God, and an Image of his Goodneſs; ſhe teacheth us Soberneſs and Prudence, Righteouſneſs and Strength; ſhe underſtands the Subtilty of words, and Solution of dark ſentences; ſhe foreknoweth Signs and Wonders, and what ſhall happen in time to come.
- (rare) A group of wombats.
- 2017, Peggy A. Wheeler, The Splendid and Extraordinary Life of Beautimus Potamus[2]:
- Beautimus strolled to the river for her morning bath. She looked one direction, then the other to search the landscape for anything or anybody who might offer a clue as to what could be coming her way. She passed a pond where a congregation of alligators and a wisdom of wombats engaged in a heated argument over economics. Nothing unusual in that.
- 2020, Graham Jackson, The7th Victim[3], page 160:
- Banyule means hill, another voice whispers from the swamp, and as I turn to ask a question I see kangaroos lying in the shade of a low tree by the shining water. Yes, the water has returned, along with giant earth-eating creatures boring holes far below, linking wisdoms of wombats with wastelands of Winthers.
- (rare) A group of owls.
- Synonym: parliament
- 1974, Margery Weiner, Answering Any Questions: How to Set Up an Information Office, Newton Abbot : David and Charles [for] the "Daily Telegraph":
- What he expected to find I cannot imagine , unless it was a wisdom of owls. What he did see and hear were telephones ringing, assistants answering them, getting up from their seats to take a book or a card from a file, returning […]
- 2016, Gary Barwin, Yiddish for Pirates: A Novel, →ISBN, page 91:
- All of us, whether we gather into a wisp of snipes, a wisdom of owls, a wing of plovers, or remain like a single regretful priest on his knees before his God, we are one and it is not for us to decide another's fate.
Synonyms
edit- (ability to make a decision): See Thesaurus:wisdom
Antonyms
editDerived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
editelement of personal character
|
piece of wise advice
|
discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good
|
ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way
|
ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding
|
ability to know and apply spiritual truths
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
|
References
edit- (group of wombats): Woop Studios, Jay Sacher. A Compendium of Collective Nouns: From an Armory of Aardvarks to a Zeal of Zebras. Chronicle Books, 2013. p. 213
See also
editMiddle English
editEtymology
editFrom Old English wīsdom. Equivalent to wys + -dom.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editwisdom (plural wisdomes)
- wisdom
- c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)[4], published c. 1410, Apocalips 17:9, page 123r, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:
- ⁊ þis is þe wit who þat haþ wiſdom / þe ſeuene heedis ben ſeuene hillis .· on which þe womman ſittiþ
- And the mind that has wisdom thinks: "The seven heads are the seven hills that the woman sits on […]
Related terms
editDescendants
editOld English
editEtymology
editFrom Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz. Cognate with Old Frisian wīsdom, Old Saxon wīsdom, Old High German wīstuom, Old Norse vísdómr. Equivalent to wīs + dōm.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editwīsdōm m
- wisdom
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies
- Ġyf þē þurh wȳsdōm findon þā ðe þē findon, forġyf mē þonne wȳsdōm...
- If by wisdom they find Thee who find Thee, then give me wisdom.
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies
Declension
editDeclension of wisdom (strong a-stem)
Synonyms
editDescendants
editCategories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *weyd-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms suffixed with -dom
- English compound terms
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɪzdəm
- Rhymes:English/ɪzdəm/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Theology
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with rare senses
- en:Collectives
- en:Philosophy
- en:Vombatiforms
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms suffixed with -dom
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Middle English terms with quotations
- Old English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old English compound terms
- Old English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old English lemmas
- Old English nouns
- Old English masculine nouns
- Old English terms with quotations
- Old English masculine a-stem nouns