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wisdom

/ˈwɪzdəm/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)syllables: wis·dom
  • noun
  • from Old English

An element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “wisdom” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. uncountableAn element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise.
  2. countableA piece of wise advice.
  3. countableuncountableThe discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good.
  4. countableuncountableThe ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way, especially to different situations from that in which the knowledge was gained.
  5. countableuncountableThe ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding.
  6. countableuncountableThe ability to know and apply spiritual truths.
  7. countablerareuncountableA group of wombats.

    It would also be difficult to get to the bottom line accurately if a wisdom of wombats ate your working papers. Both scenarios are equal in probability.2007 April 16, Tony Cooper, “Ebay is Unfair!”, in rec.collecting.coins (Usenet), retrieved 05 Sep 2022:

  8. countablerareuncountableA group of owls.

    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[…]1974, Margery Weiner, Answering Any Questions: How to Set Up an Information Office, Newton Abbot : David and Charles [for] the "Daily Telegraph":

Wiktionary: “wisdom” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (5)
  1. nounaccumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
  2. nounthe trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight — also: wiseness
  3. nounability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight — also: sapience
  4. nounthe quality of being prudent and sensible — also: wiseness, soundness
  5. nounan Apocryphal book consisting mainly of a meditation on wisdom; although ascribed to Solomon it was probably written in the first century BC — also: Wisdom of Solomon
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

Synonyms: acuity, astuteness, clairvoyance, discernment, discrimination, gumption, insight, nous, penetration, perspicacity, prudence, sagaciousness

Antonyms: foolishness, folly, foolhardiness, imprudence, stupidity, unwisdom

Wiktionary: “wisdom” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)wisdom
  2. Middle Englishwisdom
  3. Old Englishwīsdōm “wisdom”
  4. Proto-West Germanic*wīsadōm
  5. Proto-Germanic*wīsadōmaz “wisdom”

From Middle English wisdom, from Old English wīsdōm (“wisdom”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīsadōm, from Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz (“wisdom”), corresponding to wise + -dom. 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”).

Wiktionary: “wisdom” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “wisdom”

antiwisdomomniwisdomstreetwisdomwisdomfulwisdomlesswisdomshipwisdomwisewisdumbwitkeyworldwisdom

Phrases & compounds

conventional wisdomfont of all wisdomfount of all wisdomin one's infinite wisdomlip wisdompearl of wisdompenny wisdomreceived wisdomsalt of wisdomSeat of Wisdomstreet wisdomThrone of Wisdomwisdom of Silenuswisdom of Solomonwisdom of the crowwisdom tooth

Related terms

wisewiseheadwisenessmoralityintelligencejudgementsage
Wiktionary: “wisdom” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “wisdom” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “wisdom” came from before it was English.

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English wīsdōm “wisdom”
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz “wisdom”
Wiktionary: “wisdom” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Reconstructed Proto-Germanic root
“wisdom”
Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz — rebuilt by linguists from its descendants; never written down.
Wiktionary: “wisdom” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

wisdom n. [AS. w. See Wise, a., and -dom.]

  1. The quality of being wise; knowledge, and the capacity to make due use of it; knowledge of the best ends and the best means; discernment and judgment; discretion; sagacity; skill; dexterity.
  2. The results of wise judgments; scientific or practical truth; acquired knowledge; erudition.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: A group of wombats.

It would also be difficult to get to the bottom line accurately if a wisdom of wombats ate your working papers. Both scenarios are equal in probability.2007 April 16, Tony Cooper, “Ebay is Unfair!”, in rec.collecting.coins (Usenet), retrieved 05 Sep 2022:

nounMeaning: A group of owls.

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[…]1974, Margery Weiner, Answering Any Questions: How to Set Up an Information Office, Newton Abbot : David and Charles [for] the "Daily Telegraph":

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.2016, Gary Barwin, Yiddish for Pirates: A Novel, →ISBN, page 91:

Wiktionary: “wisdom” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 7

Say it, then spell it

wisdom

/ˈwɪzdəm/ · wis·dom

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

wisdom

/ˈwɪzdəm/ · wis·dom · noun

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “wisdom” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) An element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise.
2. (noun) A piece of wise advice.
3. (noun) The discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good.
4. (noun) The ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way, especially to different situations from that in which the knowledge was gained.
5. (noun) The ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding.

Step 3 — History and origin

Which language did “wisdom” come into English from?   A. Middle French  B. Latin  C. Anglo-Norman  D. Old English

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “wisdom” and what each means:

Step 4 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 5 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “wisdom” to mean: An element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise.
Write a sentence using “wisdom” to mean: A piece of wise advice.
Write a sentence using “wisdom” to mean: The discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — wisdom

Origin: D. Old English (Old English wīsdōm)

Journey: English wisdom ← Middle English wisdom ← Old English wīsdōm ← Proto-West Germanic *wīsadōm ← Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz

Some derivatives: antiwisdom, omniwisdom, streetwisdom, wisdomful, wisdomless, wisdomship, wisdomwise, wisdumb

Original meaning: Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz — “wisdom”

Etymology: From Middle English wisdom, from Old English wīsdōm (“wisdom”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīsadōm, from Proto-Germanic *wīsadōmaz (“wisdom”), corresponding to wise + -dom. 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”).

Sources: Wiktionary “wisdom” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wisdom#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/wisdom