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Added 10 October 2026

wizen

/ˈwɪzən/ adjective

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about wizen at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness.
the old woman's shriveled skin

Origin

Inherited from Middle English wisenen, from Old English wisnian, weosnian, from Proto-West Germanic *wisnōn, from Proto-Germanic *wisnōną, from Proto-Germanic *wesaną (“to consume”). Cognate with Icelandic visna, Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌽 (frawisan, “to squander through feasting”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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