Obs. exc. dial. [Of mixed origin; in the forms 4 witand, wyttande, 5 wetand, a. ON. vitand consciousness, knowledge (f. vita WIT v.1) in phr. at minni, várri, etc., vitand to my, our, etc., knowledge; this type is app. in part continued in Sc. 5 wyttyn, 5–6 (9 n. dial.) wittin, 6, 9 witten (9 wittance, ? = wittens); in Ayenbite (see quots. 1340) in pres. ppl. form wytende, -inde; otherwise f. WIT v.1 + -ING1.]
1. The fact of knowing or being aware of something; knowledge, cognizance.
Most commonly with prep. and possessive (or of), as at, by, of, to one’s witting (partly after OF. a son escient), to or with one’s knowledge, as one knows; as far as one knows; knowingly, wittingly; without one’s witting, without one’s knowledge, so that one does not know; also but witting, without its being known; with witting, wittingly.
α. a. 1300. Cursor M., 29262. [He] mai noght þis cursing scape, Þat comuns wit him þat þe pape Cursd has at his witand.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xx. (Blasius), 114. Þane rase þe chyld & a-va cane ga As he had wittine of na way.
a. 1400. Pistill of Susan, 250. I wraþþed þe neuere, at my witand.
c. 1440. York Myst., xlv. 72. A! bredir, be my wetand and i-wisse so wer we.
1466. in Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot., 1471, 214/2. To gif us lele and trew counsale eftir thare wittin.
1474. Acta Audit. (1839), 32/1. Be wittin of vmquhile William of Striuelin.
1808. Jamieson, s.v., Without my wittins, without my knowledge.
1824. Carr, Craven Gloss., 124. Bout my wittin, without my knowledge.
1828. Moir, Mansie Wauch, vii. 57. Neither word nor wittens of a family, to perpetuate our name to future generations.
β. 1340. Ayenb., 8. Huo þet onworþeþ his uader and his moder be his wytinde … zeneȝeth dyadliche. Ibid., 37. Wyþ-oute hare wytende and wyþ-oute hare wylle.
γ. 1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 216. Withouten his conseile, or þe kynges wittyng.
13[?]. Cursor M., 23510 (Gött.). Forgiuen er þai [sc. man’s sins] and neuer þe less … Vte of his [sc. God’s] witting [Cott. witernes, Fairf. witring] be þai neuer.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 236. Ye be the womman in þis world lyuynge With-oute paramours to my wytynge That I best loue. Ibid., IV. 991. That god shuld han no parfit cler witynge More þan we men, þat han doutous wenynge.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 753. With oute wityng of any oother wight.
1387–8. T. Usk, Test. Love, III. iv. (Skeat), l. 63. [God’s] weting and his before-weting is al oon.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 66. Þei … þat are chargid to sey þe soþe to þer witing.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., V. iv. 676. Þe Grekys … þe bodeis cast In til a cistern dep, qwhar þai Lay hid but wyttynge.
1445. trans. Claudian, in Anglia, XXVIII. 267. Iustice moevith to preferre right … & wronge nevir yive with wetyng.
a. 1450. Myrc, 397. That heo avow no maner þynge But hyt be at hys wytynge.
c. 1450. Merlin, 12. Gode lete me haue delyueraunce yef euer man, my witynge, hadde to do with me. Ibid., 18. The Iuges examyned the gode hermyte yef it were so, and he seide, ‘Ye,’ as by his wetynge.
1502. Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W., 1506), I. vii. G vii b. Who so trespasseth vnto his wyttynge ony of the .x. commaundementes, is in deedly synne.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546), Q iii b. He went fro Rome to Salon … without the witting of any person.
1560. Acts Privy Counc. Irel. (Hist. MSS. Comm.), 99. Without thassentes or witting of the saide freholders.
1574. Reg. Privy Council Scot., Ser. I. II. 400. [If they be] sufferit to remane thairintill … be our witting.
1587. Sc. Acts Jas. VI. (1814), III. 464/1. The cuntrie wherin the saidis guidis salbe ressett or remane for the space of tuelff houris of his witting.
1621. Hakewill, David’s Vow, ii. 46. As … we have action implied in the Verb: so have wee witting, and willing,… implied in the Adverb.
1846. Brockett, N. C. Gloss. (ed. 3), Witting, knowledge, judgment, wit.
2. Knowledge obtained or (esp.) communicated; information, intelligence, tidings, news; notice, warning. (Cf. WIT v.1 3.) Chiefly in to get or have witting.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IV. 359. We sall cum thair sa preuely, That thai sall haff na persavyng, Na ȝeit witting of our cummyng. Ibid., V. 540. Quhen men schupe hym to betraiss, He gat vitting tharof alwayis.
1417. in Rymer, Foedera (1710), IX. 427. Kepe this Matere … secre … that never Creature have Wittyng thereof.
c. 1450. Merlin, 14. When thow shalte be brought oute ageyn to Iugement lete me haue wetynge. Ibid., 45. He merveyled … how merlin myght have witinge ther-of.
1497. Merton Coll. Rec., No. 1031. The same John Wreyght shall gyve wetyng and warnyng vnto the fermour then beyng.
a. 1513. Fabyan, Chron., VI. clx. (1811), 150. The sonnis sent wittynge to the pope … requyrynge hym of ayde and counceyll.
a. 1529. Skelton, Bouge of Court, 278. And I knowe ony erthly thynge That is agayne you, ye shall haue wetynge.
a. 1625. Purchas, Pilgrims, II. 1066. To giue him witting thereof.
1818. Scott, Rob Roy, xxii. What will come o’ ye gin the bailies suld come to get witting?
1893. W. R. Mackintosh, Around Orkney Peat-Fires (1905), II. 34. Mansie, however, had his scouts, and these gave him ‘wittance’ of the nice little scheme that had been laid to capture him.
¶ Used for the infin. in phr. ‘to wit.’
1398, a. 1400, 1440. [see WIT v.1 B. 10 a, b].
