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wise

 - 11 dictionary results

wise

1  [wahyz] adjective, wis⋅er, wis⋅est, verb, wised, wis⋅ing.
Use wise in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.
2. characterized by or showing such power; judicious or prudent: a wise decision.
3. possessed of or characterized by scholarly knowledge or learning; learned; erudite: wise in the law.
4. having knowledge or information as to facts, circumstances, etc.: We are wiser for their explanations.
5. Slang. informed; in the know: You're wise, so why not give us the low-down?
6. Archaic. having knowledge of magic or witchcraft.
–verb (used with object)
7. Slang. to make wise or aware: I'll wise you, kid.
—Verb phrase
8. wise up, Slang. to make or become aware of a secret or generally unknown fact, situation, attitude, etc.: They wised him up on how to please the boss. She never wised up to the fact that the joke was on her.
—Idioms
9. be or get wise to, Slang. to be or become cognizant of or no longer deceived by; catch on: to get wise to a fraud.
10. get wise, Slang.
a. to become informed.
b. to be or become presumptuous or impertinent: Don't get wise with me, young man!
11. put or set someone wise, Slang. to inform a person; let a person in on a secret or generally unknown fact: Some of the others put him wise to what was going on.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME (adj.), OE wīs; c. D wijs, G weise, ON vīss, Goth -weis; akin to wit 1

Related forms:
wisely, adverb

Synonyms:
1, 2. sage, sensible, sagacious, intelligent.

Antonyms:
1, 2. foolish.

wise

2  [wahyz]
–noun
way of proceeding or considering; manner; fashion (usually used in combination or in certain phrases): otherwise; in any wise; in no wise.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME, OE: way, manner; melody (OE); c. D wijze, G Weise manner, melody, ON vīsa short poem, Dan vise ballad; akin to Gk eîdos form, shape

wise

3  [wahyz]
–verb (used with object), wised, wis⋅ing.
1. Chiefly Scot.
a. to instruct.
b. to induce or advise.
c. to show the way to; guide.
2. Scot. to direct the course of; cause to turn.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME wisen, OE wīsian to show the way, guide, direct, akin to wīs wise 1 ; c. OHG wīsan, ON vīsa

Wise

  [wahyz]
–noun
1. Isaac May⋅er  [mahy-er] , 1819–1900, U.S. rabbi and educator, born in Bohemia: founder of Reform Judaism in the U.S.
2. Stephen Samuel, 1874–1949, U.S. rabbi, theologian, and Zionist leader; born in Hungary.

-wise

 
a suffixal use of wise 2 in adverbs denoting manner, position, direction, reference, etc.: counterclockwise; edgewise; marketwise; timewise.
Compare -ways.

Usage note:
The suffix -wise is old in the language in adverbs referring to manner, direction, etc.: crosswise; lengthwise. Coinages like marketwise, saleswise, and weatherwise are often criticized, perhaps because of their association with the media: Otherwise—or moneywise, as they were already saying in the motion-picture industry—Hollywood was at the crest of its supercolossal glory. This suffix should not be confused with the adjective wise1, which appears in such compound words as streetwise and worldly-wise.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To wise
wise 1   (wīz)   
adj.   wis·er, wis·est

  1. Having the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; sagacious: a wise leader.

    1. Exhibiting common sense; prudent: a wise decision.

    2. Shrewd; crafty.

  3. Having great learning; erudite.

  4. Provided with information; informed. Used with to: was wise to the politics of the department.

  5. Slang Rude and disrespectful; impudent.

Phrasal Verb(s):
wise up Slang To make or become aware, informed, or sophisticated.

[Middle English, from Old English wīs; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]
wise'ly adv., wise'ness n.
wise 2   (wīz)   
n.  Method or manner of doing; way: in no wise; in any wise.

[Middle English, from Old English wīse; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]
Wise   (wīz)   
Hungarian-born American religious leader who was an ardent Zionist and founded the World Jewish Congress (1936).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

wise  (adj.)
O.E. wis, from P.Gmc. *wisaz (cf. O.S., O.Fris. wis, O.N. viss, Du. wijs, Ger. weise "wise"), from pp. adj. *wittos of PIE base *woid-/*weid-/*wid- "to see," hence "to know" (see vision). Slang meaning "aware, cunning" first attested 1896. Related to the source of O.E. witan "to know, wit."
"A wise man has no extensive knowledge; He who has extensive knowledge is not a wise man." [Lao-tzu, "Tao te Ching," c.550 B.C.E.]
Wise guy is attested from 1896, Amer.Eng.; wisecrack is from 1924. Wisenheimer, with mock Ger. or Yiddish surname suffix, first recorded 1904.

wise  (n.)
"way of proceeding, manner," O.E. wise, ultimately from the same source as wise (adj.). Cf. O.S. wisa, O.Fris. wis, Dan. vis, M.Du. wise, Du. wijs, O.H.G. wisa, Ger. Weise "way, manner." Most common in Eng. now as a suffix. For sense evolution from "to see" to "way of proceeding," cf. cognate Gk. eidos "form, shape, kind," also "course of action." Ground sense is "to see/know the way."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

wise

In addition to the idioms beginning with wise, also see get wise to; none the wiser; penny wise and pound foolish; put wise; sadder but wiser; word to the wise.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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