Added 9 October 2026
witty
/ˈwɪti/ adjective
In Latin: facētus, salsus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about witty at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Combining clever conception and facetious expression.
his sermons were unpredictably witty and satirical as well as eloquent
Origin
From Middle English witty, witti, from Old English wittiġ, witiġ, ġewittiġ (“clever, wise”), from Proto-West Germanic *witīg, *witag, from Proto-Germanic *witagaz, *wītagaz (“knowing, wise, clever”), equivalent to wit + -y. Cognate with Middle Low German wittich, gewittich (“knowing, clever, wise, understanding”), German witzig (“funny, witty”), Norwegian Bokmål vettig, Norwegian Nynorsk vittig (“witty”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)