Английский Этимологический словарь - wit (v.)

- "know," O.E. witan "to know," from P.Gmc. *witanan "to have seen," hence "to know" (see wit (n.)). The phrase to wit, almost the only surviving use of the verb, is first recorded 1577, from earlier that is to wit (1340), probably a loan-translation of Anglo-Fr. cestasavoir.