wisdomn.
/ˈwɪzdəm/, U.S. /ˈwɪzdəm/ The quality or character of being wise, or something in which this is exhibited.† 4. Sanity, ‘reason’. (Cf. wise adj. 4) Obsolete. rare.
1.
a. Capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct; soundness of judgement in the choice of means and ends; sometimes, less strictly, sound sense, esp. in practical affairs: opposed to folly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun]
righteousnesseOE
snoterc950
witnessc950
wisdomOE
insightc1175
witc1175
smeighnessc1200
sleighta1300
witternessa1300
inwitc1305
wittiheadc1315
wisenessc1320
witterheda1325
wisehede1340
slyness1357
sapience1377
wisdomhood138.
prudencea1382
sapienta1400
sentencec1400
advice?a1439
sophyc1440
profunditya1500
wittiness1543
Minerva1601
depth1605
Sophia1649
visionariness1817
OE Beowulf 1959 Offa wæs..wide geweorðod, wisdome heold eðel sinne.
c1000 Inst. Polity ii, in B. Thorpe Anc. Laws Eng. (1840) II. 306 Ðurh cynincges wisdom folc wyrð gesælig, gesundful, & sigefæst.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 123 Þet wit and þene wisdom þe ure drihten us sende.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 8974 Hire sune wex. & þraf I wissdom. & inn elde.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 485 Ichulle fordon þe wisdom of þeos wise worldmen.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 4 He mai þe vttere riwle changin efter wisdom.
1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 102 Ȝif god sente euery gome..Wordliche wisdam & wittus iliche.
a1375 Cato 409 in Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 587 Forþure þi wille wiþ wisdam.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 8857 Godd ne had him sli wisdom Giuen, als he gaf salamon.
c1400 26 Pol. Poems x. 21 At þe tre of wysdom, foly þou souȝt.
1513 More Edw. V in Hall Chron., Edw. V (1548) 2 b Yf grace turne hym to wisedome.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) ii. 183 The mooste wyse wysdome of god.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Prov. ix. B The feare of the Lorde is the begynnynge of wysdome.
1563 2nd Tome Homelyes Rogation Week iii. sig. Rrrr j Thys wisdome can not be atteyned, but by the direction of the spirite of God, and therefore it is called spirituall wisdome.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lvi. 122 That which moueth God to worke is goodnes, and that which ordereth his worke is wisedome.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iii. vii. 16 Your discipline in warre, wisedome in peace. View more context for this quotation
1633 G. Herbert Providence in Temple xvi Each creature hath a wisdome for his good.
1640 Bp. J. Wilkins Disc. New Planet ix. 204 Wee allow every Watch-maker so much wisdome as not to put any motion in his Instrument, which is superfluous.
a1708 W. Beveridge Thes. Theologicus (1711) III. 28 By wisdom, I mean that attribute in God, whereby He orders and manages whatsoever He takes in hand, by the best means, in the best manner and to the best end.
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 88 Knowledge and Wisdom, far from being one, Have ofttimes no connexion.
1875 H. E. Manning Internal Mission of Holy Ghost xiv. 385 Illumination of the intellect, together with charity inflaming the heart, constitute the gift of wisdom.
b. personified (almost always as feminine).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun] > personified
wisdomc888
phronesisa1529
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iii. §1 Þa com þær gan in to me heofencund Wisdom.
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xi. 19 Wisdom ys gerihtwisud fram heora bearnum.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. iv. 87 He haþ waget me a-mendes as wisdam him tauhte.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Prov. viii. A Doth not wysdome crie? doth not vnderstondinge put forth hir voyce?
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. viii. 13 To prescribe the order of doing..is a peculiar prerogatiue which Wisedome hath as Queene or soueraigne commandresse ouer other vertues.
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. ⁋4 Loue the Scriptures, and wisedome will loue thee.
1753 T. Gray Hymn to Adversity in Six Poems 26 Wisdom in sable garb array'd Immers'd in rapt'rous thought profound.
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 97 Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much, Wisdom is humble that he knows no more.
1802 W. Wordsworth I grieved for Buonaparte 9 Wisdom doth live with children round her knees.
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam cxii. 177 For she [sc. knowledge] is earthly of the mind, But wisdom heavenly of the soul. View more context for this quotation
c. as one of the manifestations of the divine nature in Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians i. 24, 30, etc.); hence used as a title of the second Person of the Trinity ( the Wisdom of the Father); also occasionally applied to God or the Trinity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > the Trinity > the Son or Christ > [noun] > wisdom of
wisdomc888
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > the Trinity > the Son or Christ > [noun] > according to other attributes
horn of salvation (health)c825
fatherOE
sun of righteousnessOE
priestc1175
leecha1200
vinec1315
apostlec1382
amenc1384
shepherdc1384
the Wisdom of the Father1402
high priest1526
pelican1526
mediatora1530
reconcilerc1531
branch1535
morning star1535
surety1535
vicar1651
arch-shepherd1656
hierarch1855
particularity1930
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] > according to other attributes
horn of salvation (health)c825
fatherOE
Our FatherOE
leecha1200
searcher of (men's) heartsa1382
untempter1382
headstone of the cornerc1400
Valentinec1450
illuminator1485
sun?1521
righteous maker1535
shepherd1535
verity1535
strengthener1567
gracer1592
heart-searcher1618
heartbreaker1642
sustainera1680
philanthropist1730
the invisible1781
praise1782
All-Father1814
wisdom1855
omniscient1856
engracer1866
inbreather1873
God of the gaps1933
the great —— in the sky1968
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xli. §4 Se wisdom mæg us eallunga ongitan swylce swylce we sint..forðæm se wisdom is God.
a1175 Cott. Hom. 219 Þurh his wisdom (se sune) heo ȝe~worhte alle þing.
c1200 Vices & Virtues 25 Ðe sune of ðe fader akenned, al swa his wisedom.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 23 Almichtin god. feder. sune. hali gast. ase ȝe beoð þreo an god. aswaȝe beoð an michte. an wisdom. & an luue.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9730 Sa wel i am ya luued wit þe þat þi wisdom man clepes me.
1402 Jacke Upland in Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 36 Christ, that is the wisedome of God the Father.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. v. 60 We call him also the Wisedome of the Father, yea, and euen meerely and simply wisedome.
1833 J. H. Newman Arians 4th Cent. ii. 186 It would appear that our Lord is called the Word or Wisdom of God in two respects; first, to denote His essential presence in the Father..: secondly, His mediatorship.
1855 T. T. Lynch Lett. to Scattered (1872) ii. 32 Wisdom is alive: it is not a thing or quality. It is God. It is God and Man, for it is Christ.
d. Contextually, usually predicative with following infinitive: = a wise thing to do; also with a and plural, a piece of wisdom; a wise action or proceeding. (Opposed to folly n.1 1c) archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun] > wise action or procedure
wisdom1362
witc1400
skill1600
ingenuity1657
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > wise man, sage > [noun] > group of
wisec1000
wisdom1362
sophi1598
serious-minded1694
the three wise men1867
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. vii. 201 Here nou..and holde hit for wisdam.
c1420 T. Hoccleve Min. Poems xxiv. 215 Is it wysdam as þat it seemeth yow, Were it on your fyngir continuelly?
1482 in H. E. Malden Cely Papers (1900) 87 Hyt wylbe whysdom to be sewyr of mo.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) iv. viii. 60 Till then, 'tis wisdome to conceale our meaning. View more context for this quotation
a1628 F. Greville Life of Sidney (1651) i. 2 Had I grounded my ends upon active Wisedomes of the present.
1764 J. Priestley Ess. Educ. in Lect. Hist. (1788) p. xv It is certainly our wisdom to contrive that the studies of youth should tend to fit them for the business of manhood.
1831 W. Scott Count Robert vii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. II. 183 It is wisdom to choose a better protector.
1884 H. H. Jackson Ramona i If she had ever said anything about herself, which she never did—one of her many wisdoms.
e.
(a) plural as attribute of a number of persons; hence, with possessive, as a title of dignity or respect, esp. for the members of a deliberative assembly; also jocularly or ironically. Similarly, without possessive, as in the best wisdoms = the wisest men.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > wise man, sage > [noun]
wise manc888
wisec897
witec900
snoterc950
divinera1387
sage1399
mage?a1425
wisdom1432
wizardc1440
sapientc1550
Solomon1554
oracle1579
sophy1587
Solon1631
sapientipotent1656
magus1700
wiseacre1753
sageshipa1832
Yoda1984
1432 Rolls of Parl. IV. 403/2 To the right wyse and discrete Commens of this present Parlement... Please hit unto youre worthy and noble wisdoms and discretions [etc.].
1447–8 Shillingford's Lett. (Camden) 108 As hit appereth of recorde the whiche they remytte to your wysedomys.
1536 T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 2 As by your wisedomes ye shall thinke may best serue for the kinges highnes purpose.
1587 D. Fenner Def. Godlie Ministers sig. Iiiv It may please their wisedomes, who are to be Iudges, to consider.
1619 J. Denison Heauenly Banquet 317 I will leaue that to their wisedomes who haue place of gouernment.
1631 G. Markham Countrey Contentm. (ed. 4) i. xix. 103 Many of the best wisedomes of our Nation.
1794 J. Wolcot Ode to Tyrants in Wks. (1812) III. 253 Even Folly..freely on your Wisdoms cracks her jokes.
(b) Less commonly in singular of a single person.
ΚΠ
1447–8 Shillingford's Lett. (Camden) 42 Not likely by that mene to be ended lightly, as your wysedom knowyth well.
1598 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) I. Ep. Ded. sig. *3 The chiefe motiues which induced his princely wisedome hereunto.
1612 J. Cotta Short Discouerie Dangers Ignorant Practisers Physicke i. ix. 72 The parents..sent for a wisewoman, & her wisedome came vnto them.
a1652 A. Wilson in F. Peck Desiderata Curiosa (1735) II. xii. 24 The Maior's Wisdom said, hee knew not my Lord's Hand.
1831 W. Scott Count Robert viii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. I. 236 Can your wisdom possibly entertain a wish to converse with me?
f. in his (or its, etc.) wisdom: now usually ironic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [adverb]
wiselyc888
redlyeOE
spacklya1375
wittilya1375
prudentlya1382
redilyc1391
sagelya1400
sapiently1477
wise1487
wittingly1487
savourly1494
sageouslyc1500
ingeniously1548
judiciously1593
in his (or its, etc.) wisdom1852
1852 Queen Victoria in Hansard CXXIII. 20 To enable the Industry of the Country to meet successfully that unrestricted Competition to which Parliament, in its Wisdom, has decided that it should be subjected.
1863 N. Hawthorne Our Old Home II. 297 Possibly his Lordship thought, in his wisdom, that the good feeling which was sure to be expressed by a company of well-bred Englishmen, at his august and far-famed dinner-table, might have an appreciable influence on the grand result.
1930 W. Faulkner As I lay Dying 68 If you have no son, it's because the Lord has decreed otherwise in His wisdom.
1974 K. Clark Another Part of Wood vi. 232 In the 1930's, when the country was at least ten times as rich as it is today, the Treasury ‘in its wisdom’ twice found it necessary to cut off our annual purchase grant altogether.
2.
a. Knowledge (esp. of a high or abstruse kind); enlightenment, learning, erudition; in early use often = philosophy, science. †Also, practical knowledge or understanding, expertness in an art. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > [noun]
witshipc900
wisdomc950
knowledge1393
notice?1435
notition1453
intellectionc1475
acknowledgec1510
sciturec1540
knowledgement1570
know1592
cognizance1635
conusance1635
cognoscence1647
knowfulness1891
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > scholarly knowledge, erudition > [noun]
learningc897
wisdomc950
witnessc950
lore971
clergya1225
wit1297
apprise1303
gramaryec1320
clergisea1330
cunning1340
lering1340
sciencea1387
schoola1393
studya1393
art?a1400
cunningnessa1400
leara1400
sophyc1440
doctrinec1460
mathesisa1475
grammarc1500
doctorship1567
knowledge1576
scholarship1579
virtuosoship1666
erudition1718
eruditenessa1834
Wissenschaft1834
savantism1855
scholarment1896
the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > [noun] > skill or knowledge
insightc1175
smeighnessc1200
slyness1357
cunningc1374
knowledge?a1425
wisdom1526
sight1530
cunningness1609
can1721
know-how1838
can-do1839
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xi. 52 Tulistis clauem scientiae, gie nomon cægo wisdomes.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 1 Cor. ii. 13 Not in tauȝt wordis of mannis wysdom, but in doctryne of the spirit.
c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 577 The wysdom of an heep of lerned men Of Maistres hadde he mo than thryes ten.
a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 1 Þe wijsdom and þe science of þis book schulde..be..preserued.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts vii. 22 Moses was learned in all manner off wisdom of the Egipcians.
1557 in E. Lodge Illustr. Brit. Hist. (1791) I. 276 The Quene's Matie, knowing the wysdome and skyll of John Brende, Esquier, in the leading and ordering of footemen.
1662 J. Chandler tr. J. B. van Helmont Oriatrike 163 This..was Zoosophie or the wisdom of keeping living Creatures together.
1770 J. Langhorne & W. Langhorne tr. Plutarch Lives (1879) I. 130/1 What was then called wisdom, which consisted in a knowledge of the arts of government, and the practical part of political prudence.
1875 J. B. Lightfoot St. Paul's Epist. Colossians & Philemon 99 ‘Wisdom’ in Gnostic teaching was the exclusive possession of the few.
b. plural. Kinds of learning, branches of knowledge. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > branch of knowledge > [noun] > collectively
wisdomsc888
artsc1300
wits1362
sciencea1387
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. vii. §3 Mine þeowas sindon wisdomas & cræftas & soðe welan.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 8482 Of all wisdoms he [sc. Solomon] had i-nogh.
1853 F. W. Faber All for Jesus (1854) 130 The Corinthians could not come near us in the variety of our wisdoms and our gifts.
c. In renderings of medieval Latin names of substances prepared or used by the alchemists, as lute of wisdom (see lute n.2 1), salt of wisdom = alembroth n.Cf. philosopher n. Phrases 1, philosophical adj. and n. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical substances > salts > [noun] > salts named by atomic number > haloids > chlorides or chlorates > of mercury and ammonium
sal alembrothc1330
alembroth1652
salt of wisdom1800
a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 4 Ȝe schulen opene þe hoole of þe vessel in þe heed þat was selid with þe seel of lute of wijsdom, maad of þe sotillest flour, and of white of eyren, and of moist papere, ymeyngid so þat no þing respire out.
1576 G. Baker tr. C. Gesner Newe Jewell of Health i. f. 37 The Lute of wysedome, which resisteth the fire marueylously.
1800 tr. E. J. B. Bouillon-Lagrange Man. Course Chem. II. 23 Alembroth, Salt of the Art, Salt of Wisdom.
3.
a. Wise discourse or teaching; with a and plural, a wise saying or precept. Now rare or archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > saying, maxim, adage > [noun]
saw9..
quideOE
yedOE
wordOE
wisdomc1175
bysawe?c1225
riotc1330
sentencec1380
textc1386
dict1432
diction1477
redec1480
say1486
adage1530
commonplace?1531
adagy1534
soothsay1549
maxima1564
apophthegm1570
speech1575
gnome1577
aphorisma1593
imprese1593
spoke1594
symbol1594
maxim1605
wording1606
impress1610
motto1615
dictum1616
impresa1622
dictate1625
effate1650
sentiment1780
great thought1821
brocarda1856
text-motto1880
sententia1917
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun] > teaching, precepts
wisdomc1175
prajna1828
sagacities1867
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 125 Imong þan muchela wisdoma þe ure drihten lerde his apostles.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 12790 Ælc bi his witte wisdom sæiden.
1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 1179 Anoþer wysdom a clerk vs telleþ.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 462 On two tables of tigel and bras Wrot he ðat wistom.
c1400 J. Lydgate Chorle & Bird 274 in Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 189 To here a wisdom thyn eres been half deef.
1493 Dives & Pauper (1496) ix. iv. 350/2 I shall teche the thre wysedomes whiche yf thou kepe them well they shall do the moche proufyte.
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour iii. xxiv. sig. hivv In his fables the foxe, the hare, and the wolfe, though they neuer spake, do teache many good wysedomes.
1860 G. A. Sala Baddington Peerage I. vii. 127 Listen then, to the wisdom of Pollybank.
b. In the titles of two books of the Apocrypha, viz. The Wisdom of Solomon (often abbrev. Wisdom or The Book of Wisdom), and The Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach (commonly called Ecclesiasticus). Cf. also Wisdom literature n. at Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > Apocrypha > [noun] > Ecclesiasticus
The Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach1611
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > Apocrypha > [noun] > Wisdom
sapience1362
wisdom1875
1430–40 Wycliffite Bible Wisd. (heading) Heer gynneth the prolog in the booc of Wisdam.
1611 Bible (King James) (title) The Wisedome of Solomon. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) (title) The Wisdome of Iesus the sonne of Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus.
1875 E. H. Plumptre in Expositor 1 336 Those [words] which are found in Philo and in the Epistle, but not in Wisdom.
1912 E. C. Selwyn Oracles N.T. iii. 78 The fact that Wisdom also contains an anticipation of one of the three Temptations of Christ.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > mental health > [noun]
healthc1000
in witc1000
i-mindOE
mindc1380
reasonc1405
wit-state?c1450
common sense1536
sense1536
senses1540
soundness1548
sanitya1616
wisdoma1616
mental health?1650
saneness1727
mens sana1853
balance1856
lucidity1874
clear-headedness1882
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. iv. 4 Pray heauen his wisedome bee not tainted. View more context for this quotation
Compounds
C1. attributive. See also wisdom tooth n.
a.
wisdom-book n.
ΚΠ
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 187 Of þe strengðe þe ure drihten us to munegeð specð wisdom boc and seið, Fortitudo simplicis uia domini.
wisdom-lecture n.
ΚΠ
a1644 F. Quarles Solomons Recantation (1645) xii. 58 Because his true repentant soul was wise, He read this wisdome-lecture.
wisdom-monger n.
ΚΠ
1809–10 S. T. Coleridge Friend (1818) III. 112 The title of sophist,..a wisdom-monger, in the same sense as we say, an iron-monger.
b.
wisdom poetry n.
ΚΠ
1895 R. G. Moulton Proverbs 169 The metres of Wisdom poetry.
wisdom versification n.
C2.
Wisdom books n. the biblical books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom of Solomon, and Ecclesiasticus, and the Epistle of James.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > Old Testament > divisions of Old Testament > [noun] > Wisdom books
Wisdom books1887
Wisdom literature1887
1887 T. K. Cheyne Job & Solomon 180 The Wisdom-books of the Old Testament proper.
Wisdom literature n. a collective term for the biblical books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom of Solomon, and Ecclesiasticus, and the Epistle of James.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > Old Testament > divisions of Old Testament > [noun] > Wisdom books
Wisdom books1887
Wisdom literature1887
1887 T. K. Cheyne Job & Solomon 180 The book now before us—the largest and most comprehensive in the Wisdom-literature.
C3. Instrumental, objective, etc.
wisdom-bred adj.
ΚΠ
1842 Ld. Tennyson Œnone (rev. ed.) in Poems (new ed.) I. 124 Power..; wisdom-bred And throned of wisdom.
wisdom-giving adj.
ΚΠ
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 679 O Sacred, Wise, and Wisdom-giving Plant, Mother of Science. View more context for this quotation
wisdom-seasoned adj.
ΚΠ
a1644 F. Quarles Solomons Recantation (1645) Soliloquy xi. 55 Thy wisdome-seasoned brest.
wisdom-seeming adj.
ΚΠ
1826 E. Irving Babylon I. ii. 74 A wisdom-seeming ignorance.
wisdom-working adj.
ΚΠ
1816 P. B. Shelley Sunset 36 To make hard hearts Dissolve away in wisdom-working grief.
Derivatives
ˈwisdomful adj. full of wisdom.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [adjective] > very
inwise1450
sapientipotent1656
wisdomful1845
1845 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 156/2 Its wondrous wisdomful speech.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun]
righteousnesseOE
snoterc950
witnessc950
wisdomOE
insightc1175
witc1175
smeighnessc1200
sleighta1300
witternessa1300
inwitc1305
wittiheadc1315
wisenessc1320
witterheda1325
wisehede1340
slyness1357
sapience1377
wisdomhood138.
prudencea1382
sapienta1400
sentencec1400
advice?a1439
sophyc1440
profunditya1500
wittiness1543
Minerva1601
depth1605
Sophia1649
visionariness1817
138. J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 99 As Seynt Poul seyþ, In him beþ alle tresoures of kunnyng and of wysdomhud.
ˈwisdomless adj. destitute of wisdom.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > foolishness, folly > [adjective]
dizzyc825
unwisec825
redelessOE
unwittyc1000
daftlikec1175
witlessc1175
canga1225
adoted?c1225
cangun?c1225
egedec1225
cangeda1250
foola1250
snepea1250
aerwittec1275
sotlyc1275
unslyc1275
unwitterc1275
unwilya1300
nicec1300
goosishc1374
unskilfulc1374
follyc1380
lewdc1380
mis-feelinga1382
dottlec1390
foltedc1390
peevishc1400
fona1425
fonnishc1425
foliousa1450
foolisha1450
daft?c1450
doitedc1450
dotyc1450
daffish1470
insapientc1470
gucked?a1500
wanwittya1500
furious1526
insipient1528
seelya1529
dawish?1529
foolage1545
momish1546
base-wittedc1547
stultitiousa1549
follifulc1550
senseless1565
mopish1568
fondish1579
unsensiblea1586
fondly1587
dizzardly1594
follial1596
featlessc1598
fopperly1599
gowkeda1605
inept1604
simple1604
anserine1607
foppish1608
silly ass1608
unsage1608
wisdomless1608
fool-beggeda1616
Gotham1621
noddy1645
badot1653
dosser-headed1655
infrunite1657
nonsensicalc1661
slight1663
sappy1670
datelessa1686
noddy-peaked1694
nizy1709
dottled1772
gypit1804
shay-brained1806
folly-stricken1807
fool-like1811
goosy1811
spoony1813
niddle-noddle1821
gumptionless1823
daftish1825
anserous1826
as crazy as a loon1830
spoonish1833
cheese-headed1836
dotty1860
fool-fool1868
noodly1870
dilly1873
gormless1883
daffy1884
monkey-doodle1886
mosy1887
jay1891
pithecanthropic1897
peanut-headed1906
dinlo1907
boob1911
goofy1921
ding-a-ling1935
jerky1944
jerk1947
jerkish1948
pointy-headed1950
doofus1967
twitty1967
twittish1969
nerkish1975
numpty1992
1608 G. Markham & L. Machin Dumbe Knight iv. sig. H4v I am mad,..all wit-stung, wisdomlesse.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > wise man, sage > pretender to wisdom, wiseacre > [noun] > affected wisdom
sapiencec1374
wisdomness1668
1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Epitome (1843) 21 It is a hard matter..to conceiue all the wisdomnes of this syllogisme.
1668 E. Kemp Reasons Sole Use of Churches Prayers 14 So impertinent a piece of gravity, so unseasonable a piece of wisdomness.
ˈwisdomship n. (with possessive) as a title of (ironical) respect (cf. 1e).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > wise man, sage > pretender to wisdom, wiseacre > [noun]
owl1568
tire-brain1589
wiseacre1595
Solonist1607
formalist1612
nodder1625
Solon1631
wiseling1633
self-wiseling1649
sophy1649
Solomon1656
conjurer1668
wisdomship1692
sage1751
wisehead1756
wisebones1894
1692 Vindication Pref. sig. A 2 Their cool Wisdomships can be as Hot as their Neighbours in their own Concerns.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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