v. arch. Forms: (see below). [var. of WIT v.1, due to the carrying over of the preterite-present stem wǭt (earlier and northern wāt) into other parts of the verb. The substitution occurs first in the 2nd pers. sing. (wāt, wǭt for wāst, wǭst) and the plur. (for wĭten) of the present tense, and appears in northern texts from the end of the 13th century. In the 14th cent. the new forms wotest and woteth (wotis) appear. The infin. woten occurs early in the 15th cent., and wotte, wote, wot in the 16th, together with the pres. pple. wotting. The pa. t. wotted is an archaism of the 19th cent.] trans. and intr. To know. Freq. const. with of. (See WIT v.1)
1. 2nd sing. pres. indic. α. north. and Sc. 4–5 wat, 4–6 wate, († whate, quat, vat), 6 wait, (vait). β. 4 whote, 5 woot, wot.
α. a. 1300. Cursor M., 766. Wat þou [Gött. quat, Fairf. wate] quarfor?
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 2666. Ne þou whate never in what stede þou sal dyghe.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, V. 241. Thou vat nocht quha is thi frend.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., cxxix. Lo, wate thou quhy?
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., V. xiii. 5247 (Cott.). Quhar was God, wat þou oucht, Befor þat hewyn and erde was wroucht?
1549. Compl. Scot., xv. 126. Thou vait that ane man vil haue childir of deferent conditionis.
c. 1550. Rolland, Crt. Venus, I. 404. Thryis als mekle scho reuis, That thou not wait.
a. 1568. in Bannatyne MS. (Hunter. Club), 133. Thow wate nocht quhen that it will licht.
β. a. 1352. Minot, Poems (ed. Hall), xi. 4. Þou whote wham I mene.
c. 1400. Non-Cycle Myst. Plays, iii. 40. Now wot þou wele of all oure wo.
a. 1425. Cursor M., 3231 (Trin.). Wende in hye vnto mesopothanye, þere þou woot oure frendes wone.
2. Pres. indic. plural. α. north. and Sc. 4–6, 8 wat (4 quat, 5 vat), wate (5 quate), 5–6 wait (6 vait, waite). β. 4–6 wote (4 wotep, wotin, 5 north. woteys), 5 woote, 5–6 woot, wott(e, 5–9 wot (5 whot).
α. a. 1300. Cursor M., 4729. Wel wat [Fairf. wate] yee Mi stiward ioseph al fedes me. Ibid., 14571. We wat [Gött. quat] mast quat er þai þar.
1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 1432. Ofte chaunges þe tymes here, als men wele wate.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, vi. (Thomas), 172. Of pollucione of flesche grovis, as ve vat, giltines.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., V. xi. 2931 (Cott.). As ȝhe wate and has herde tel.
1456. Sir G. Haye, Law Arms (S.T.S.), 151. Changeing of men that wate the kingis secretis … may do grete scathe.
1513. Douglas, Æneid, X. Prol. 66. Lik as the sawle of man is ane, we wait, Havand thre poweris distinct and separate.
1549. Compl. Scot., v. 32. Thai vait nocht quhat thing is the varld.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., I. 58. Quhilkes to cal scheip or gait … we knawe nocht, nor wat we weil.
1720. Ramsay, Prosp. Plenty, 171. Right wiel they wate That truth and honesty hauds lang the gate. Ibid. (1724), Tea-t. Misc. (1733), I. 66. Now wat ye wha I met yestreen?
β. 1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 39. Þys clerkys … wote þat ys to wetyn.
c. 1400. trans. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh., 51. We woot wel þat þe kepynge of largesse ys right herd.
1426. Lydg., De Guil. Pilgr., 2432. They … whot nat wher to saue or lese.
c. 1460. Play Sacrament, 334. Ye wott what I haue sayd.
1521. Fisher, Serm., Wks. (1876), 315. We woot that that people of the Iewes was a shadow of the chrysten people.
c. 1530. Latimer, in Strype, Eccl. Mem. (1721), I. App. xliii. 119. Ye call the Scripture the new Lerninge; which … is eldre than any lerninge, that ye wote to be the old.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., II. ii. 90. Then you may come and see the picture … that you wot of.
16[?]. Middleton, etc., Old Law, III. i. I have found out the true age … of the party you wot on.
1657. Trapp, Comm. Ps. xxxii. 5. Wot you what?… he hath confessed himself as guilty … as his man.
1753–4. Richardson, Grandison (1810), IV. xvii. 141. Wot ye not the indelicacy of an early present, which you are not obliged to make?
1841. G. P. R. James, Brigand, iv. There are more dangers around than you wot of.
1874. Motley, John of Barneveld, xi. II. 30. ‘Don’t forget to caress the old gentleman you wot of,’ said the Advocate frequently.
3. a. 2nd sing. pres. indic. 5 wotest, -ist, -ys(t, 6– wottest, 6 wottst, wotste, Sc. wattis.
1387–8. T. Usk, Test. Love, I. ii. 74. Wottest thou not wel … that every shepherde ought … to seke his sperkelande sheep.
c. 1400. Beryn, 45. I myȝte nat lyve els, þowe wotist.
1448–9. Metham, Amoryus & Cleopes, 360. Wotys thow qwat me thynkyth best?
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, I. xxiv. 72. This knyght is a man of more worship than thou wotest of.
1549. Coverdale, Erasm. Par. Rom., Prol. ᛭ iv b. Thou woteste not what thou teachest.
1579. E. Hake, Newes out of Powles (1872), A vij. For well thou wotste, if thyrsty were my minde … Then would I [etc.].
a. 1585. Montgomerie, Cherrie & Slae, 426. Thou wattis not quhat thou wald.
1819. Scott, Ivanhoe, xxxvi. Wottest thou that Lucas de Beaumanoir … is now himself at Templestowe?
1844. Mrs. Browning, Crowned & Buried, xv. I would have The dead whereof thou wottest, from that grave.
b. 3rd sing. pres. indic. 4 wotis, 6 woteth, -ith, 6 wottyth, 6– wotteth, 9 wots; Sc. 6 wattis, 7 waits, 9 wats.
13[?]. Cursor M., 10506 (Gött.). He wotis þis haue i ȝernid ay.
1523. Skelton, Garl. Laurel, 1431. Lytill wotith the goslyng what the gose thynkith. Ibid., 1438. Wele wotith the cat whos berde she likkith.
1531. Dial. Laws Eng., II. liii. 44. It is therefore no synne to say he wortyth not where he is.
1535. Coverdale, Baruch iii. 32. He that woteth all thynges, knoweth her.
1577. St. Aug. Man. (Longman), 27. O kyngdome without ende;… where the day … woteth not what time meaneth.
1602. J. Davies (Heref.), Mirum in Modum (Grosart), 6/1. Through which she wots what works hir woe or weale.
1633. Sir A. Johnston (Ld. Wariston), Diary (S.H.S.), 81. Quho waits bot the Lord wil deal bountifully with his servant once this weak as he did [etc.].
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xi. Let her know that he she wots of remained here … expecting to see her.
1879. E. Arnold, Lt. Asia, VIII. 22. The ant wots of its ways, The white doves know them well.
4. Infin. 5 woten, 7 wote; 6 wotte, 6– wot. Also subj. 6 wote; imper. 6 wot, wat, 7 wote.
1414. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 59/1. Which is gret doel to alle the Kynges trewe lieges … to woten of swiche meschiefs done and used withinne the Rewme.
1509. Fisher, Ps. cxlii. Wks. (1876), 253. No meruayle it is yf than the sely soule … wote not what to saye.
1530. Palsgr., Ep. Ded. p. iij. So that we myght wotte for the kepynge of trewe congruite in that tonge … how [etc.].
1575. A. Fleming, Virg. Bucol., III. 8. If so much thou know not, then, well wot, the goate is mine.
1601. Holland, Pliny, XXX. iii. II. 406. Wote well, that ordinarily the water thereof is not good.
1605. Camden, Rem., Lang., 19. Conscience, they called Inwit, as that which they did inwardly wit and wote, that is, know certainely.
1813. Scott, Trierm., I. xi. The … Monarch full little did wot That she smiled, in his absence, on brave Lancelot.
1875. Morris, Æneids, III. 379. The other things the Parcæ still ban Helenus to wot.
5. Pres. pple. (and verbal sb.). 6 wottyng, 6– wotting.
1523. Cromwell, in Merriman, Life & Lett. (1902), I. 42. People browght to extreme distresse and not wottyng how to lyue.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 120. Wottyng and weenyng, were those two thingis one.
1574. A. L., Calvin’s Four Serm., ii. He stammered, not wotting what to say.
1624. Gataker, Transubst., 60. Well wotting that there was no such thing.
1817. Scott, Harold, III. iii. Hardly wotting why, He doff’d his helmet’s gloomy pride.
1887. Morris, Odyss., XIV. 451. And neither the Queen nor Laertes the Elder were wotting of this.
6. Past tense. 9– wotted.
1818. Scott, Rob Roy, viii. That honest gentleman’s terror communicated itself to him, though he wotted not why.
1853. Huxley, in Life & Lett. (1900), I. 114. Having rushed into more responsibility than I wotted of.
1901. ‘Linesman,’ Words by Eyewitness (1902), 317. He will see many things he wotted nothing of.
