‘To Wit’ is a fixed expression that is a shorted form of the phrase ‘that is to wit’. It means, "that is to know”, "that is to say” or "namely”, and comes from the English verb ‘wit’, which means ‘to know’. This was a strong verb with the past tense ‘wot’, for example "A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot”. The Old English spelling was ‘witan’ and further back it was linked with a Germanic verb meaning ‘to see’. The Old English spelling ‘witan’ can be closely connected with the German verb ‘wissen’ and was the origin of our word ‘witness’. The word also developed in the English language to refer to a person’s understanding, judgement of mind, such as ‘to keep your wits about you’.
An informal example of the verb in use is, "The wonders of the world are, to wit: The Opera House in Sydney, the Statue of Liberty...” However, it is a phrase that is mostly archaic in modern daily usage and can be found primarily in ‘legalese’. It may be used in court, as in the example "The defendant is charged with possession of a controlled substance, to wit, cocaine…”. The verb can be replaced with the synonyms namely, that is to say or viz.
Reading some old etymology books can be one of the best ways to understand the origins of archaic language. It can be a fascinating thing to study, and something that will be impressively useful in pub quizzes. Make sure you impress your friends by reading up on the history of the English language!
An informal example of the verb in use is, "The wonders of the world are, to wit: The Opera House in Sydney, the Statue of Liberty...” However, it is a phrase that is mostly archaic in modern daily usage and can be found primarily in ‘legalese’. It may be used in court, as in the example "The defendant is charged with possession of a controlled substance, to wit, cocaine…”. The verb can be replaced with the synonyms namely, that is to say or viz.
Reading some old etymology books can be one of the best ways to understand the origins of archaic language. It can be a fascinating thing to study, and something that will be impressively useful in pub quizzes. Make sure you impress your friends by reading up on the history of the English language!
