a. [In ME. aphetic for *iwitful, OE. *ʓewitfull, inferred from unʓewitfull (f. unʓewitt madness, folly); in mod.E. a new formation on WIT sb. and -FUL.]

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  † 1.  Wise, sagacious. Obs.

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c. 1205.  Lay., 921. Membricius … wes … wys & witful. Ibid., 9095. Þurh his wit-fulne cræfte.

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1340.  Ayenb., 150. He makeþ man wytuol and wys.

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1544.  Betham, trans. Purlilia’s Precepts War, I. cxxx. G iv b. A wylfull capitayne wyll sende some of hys sould yours that be subtyle & wyttye, to … tempt the mynde of his enemies.

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1587.  Golding, De Mornay, v. (1592), 58. That is the marke of the witfull action, (that is to say, of the euerlasting word or conceit whereby God made them).

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1614.  Chapman, Masque Inns of Court, C 2. Tis passing miraculous, that your dul and blind worship should so sodainly turne both sightfull, and witfull.

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  2.  Full of wit (in modern senses). rare.

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1765.  J. Brown, Chr. Jrnl., Summer Day, 174. The poems of lofty Milton, witful Cowley, elegant Pope.

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1872.  Daily News, 31 July., 5/5. M. Thiers’ utterances snap with witful shrewdness.

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