wise

Etymology 1

From Middle English wis, wys, from Old English wīs (“wise”), from Proto-Germanic *wīsaz (“wise”), from Proto-Indo-European *weydstos, *weydtos, a participle form of *weyd-. Cognate with Dutch wijs, German weise, Norwegian and Swedish vis. Compare wit.

adj

1. Showing good judgement or the benefit of experience.
   Storing extra food for the winter was a wise decision.
   They were considered the wise old men of the administration.
   It is a profitable thing, if one is wise, to seem foolish.
2. (colloquial, ironic, sarcastic) Disrespectful.
   Don't get wise with me!
3. (colloquial) Aware, informed (to something).
   Be careful: the boss is wise to your plan to call out sick.

verb

1. To become wise.
2. (ergative, slang) Usually with "up", to inform or learn.
   Mo wised him up about his situation.
   After Mo had a word with him, he wised up.

Etymology 2

From Old English wīse, from Proto-Germanic *wīsō. Cognate with Dutch wijze, German Weise, Norwegian vis, Swedish visa, vis, Italian guisa, Spanish guisa. Compare -wise.

noun

1. (archaic) Way, manner, or method.
   In such wise that all the beasts, great and small, came to the court save Reynard the Fox. 1481, William Caxton, The History Reynard the Fox)
   […] the prize Dead Greece vouchsafes to living eyes, — Her Art for ever in fresh wise From hour to hour rejoicing me. 1850, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Burden of Nineveh, lines 2–5
   A riven hood was pulled across his eyes; The token of him being upon this wise Made for a sign of Lust. 1866, Algernon Swinburne, A Ballad of Life, lines 28–30
   And within a few minutes the rest of us were on our way too, judiciously instructed by Parkapple and the Brighton official, and disposed of in two taxi-cabs, the drivers of which were ordered to convey us to Rottingdean in such wise that each set his load of humanity at different parts of the village and at the same time that the bus was due to arrive at the hotel. 1926, J. S. Fletcher, Sea Fog, page 308
   Then, at least, we shall be able to program consciousness in such wise that it cannot be numbed nor distracted by the Narcissus illusions of the entertainment world that beset mankind when he encounters himself extended in his own gimmickry. 1964, Marshall McLuhan, chapter 6, in Understanding Media, 2nd edition

Etymology 3

From Middle English wisen (“to advise, direct”), from Old English wisian (“to show the way, guide, direct”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīsijan, from Proto-Germanic *wīsaną, *wīsijaną (“to show the way, dispense knowledge”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”). Cognate with Dutch wijzen (“to indicate, point out”), German weisen (“to show, indicate”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål vise (“to show”), Norwegian Nynorsk visa (“to show”).

verb

1. (dialectal) To instruct.
2. (dialectal) To advise; induce.
3. (dialectal) To show the way, guide.
4. (dialectal) To direct the course of, pilot.
5. (dialectal) To cause to turn.