See Also:

wit(1) (iou)



wit noun.

I. The mind as the seat of consciousness, thought, etc. OE-M17.
b. Consciousness. Only in ME.
In sing. & (now usu.) pl. The mind or understanding considered in respect of its condition; esp. right mind, sanity. OE.
Shakespeare Twelfth Night I am as well in my wits, fool, as thou art. M. Fotherby It is a thing so euident..that whosoeuer denieth it, is (surely) out of his wit.
a. The faculty of thinking and reasoning; understanding, intellect, reason. arch. ME.
Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was. Pope In Wit a Man; Simplicity, a Child.
b. A person considered in respect of his or her intellect. arch. M16.
a. Any of the faculties of perception or sensation. Esp. in the five wits below. Long arch. exc. as in b. ME.
J. Morley Morality depends not merely on the five wits, but on the mental constitution within.
b. In pl. The mental or intellectual powers of a person collectively. LME.
S. Richardson That my wits may not be sent a wooll-gathering. J. Buchan My wits were coming back to me, and I could think again.
Mental quickness, inventiveness, or sharpness; intellectual ability; genius, talent, cleverness. Now chiefly spec., talent for speaking or writing wittily or amusingly. ME.
W. Davenant Wit is not only the luck and labour, but also the dexterity of thought. T. Yalden His flowing wit, with solid judgment join'd. W. Cowper Gilpin had a pleasant wit And lov'd a timely joke.
b. Practical ability, ingenuity, or skill. ME-E18.
c. Sagacity in an animal. LME-E17.
Wisdom, good sense or judgement, discretion, prudence. obsolete exc. in have the wit to. ME.
Dryden Lavish Grants suppose a Monarch tame, And more his Goodness than his Wit proclaim. J. Ruskin One piece of good fortune, of which I had the wit to take advantage. I. Watson Jambi had had the wit to pull up the gangplank.
b. A wise or prudent deed, practice, policy, or plan. ME-E17.
a. A talented, clever, or intellectually gifted person; a genius. obsolete exc. as in sense b. LME.
b. A person with a talent for speaking or writing wittily or amusingly; a witty person. L17.
S. Townsend My father is quite a wit after a couple of glasses of vodka.
(The quality which consists in) the apt, clever, unexpected, or (now esp.) humorous expression of thought or juxtaposition of ideas, expressions, etc., calculated to delight an audience. M16.
J. Dennis Scarron's Burlesque has..little of good Sense, and consequently little of true Wit. Pope True Wit is Nature to advantage dress'd, What oft was thought, but ne'er so well express'd. J. A. Hammerton There is more 'heart' in humour, and more 'head' in wit. P. Ackroyd There are flashes of acid if high-spirited wit in all these sketches.
II.
a. Knowledge acquired by study, learning; awareness. ME-M17.
b. Information, intelligence. Esp. in get wit of. Scot. & north. LME.
An opinion, a view, a judgement. LME-L16.
J. Bell The old Proverbe..so many heades, so many wittes.
Phrases: a sport of wit: see SPORT noun. at one's wits' end: see one's wits' end below. have one's wits about one, keep one's wits about one be vigilant, mentally alert, or of lively intelligence. live by one's wits make a living by ingenious or crafty expedients, without a settled occupation. one's wits' end, one's wit's end the limit of one's ability to reason or cope; freq. in at one's wits' end, in a state of utter perplexity. out of one's wits insane, mad, distracted. set one's wits to argue with. the five wits (long arch.) five (bodily) senses; gen. the perceptual or mental faculties.
Comb.: wit-cracker (rare, Shakes.) a wisecracker; wit-craft (a) the art of reasoning, logic; (b) exercise of one's wits; wit-snapper = wit-cracker above; wit-wanton verb trans. (with it) & intrans. (long rare) indulge wantonly in wit; wit-worm (long rare) a person who has developed into a wit (with allus. to the caterpillar emerging from the egg); wit-writing rare self-consciously witty or clever poetic composition.