Iwis

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ɪˈwɪs/

Definitions

1. A term expressing certainty or confidence, often used to affirm a statement
2. A historical adverb meaning "certainly" or "indeed," underscoring belief in the truth of a claim
3. A somewhat archaic expression reflecting assurance or acknowledgment, emphasizing what is understood to be true

Etymology: Adverbs like this one often survive only in fixed phrases, and "iwis" is a good example: it was once a plain adjective meaning "certain" or "sure," and its surviving sense of "certainly" is a shrunken remnant of that. Its Old English ancestor, "ġewiss," meant "certain, sure," and the same root gave German "gewiss," Dutch "gewis," and Danish "vis," all still meaning "sure" or "certain." The root goes back to a Proto-Indo-European verb meaning "to know," which also gave English "wit" and "wis," as in the old verb "to wis" meaning "to know." So "iwis" is closely tied to the idea of knowing something for certain, and it carries that sense of firm knowledge into its adverbial use. In Middle English the word spread in forms like "iwis," "iwys," and "ywis," and its use as an adverb reflects a shift from describing a thing as certain to affirming that something is certainly so. Its trailing "-s" is an ending that appears on many old adverbs, which is why the word looks like a plural even though it is not one.

Synonyms: certainly, indeed