What does wate mean?
“Wate” is chiefly a Scots verb meaning “to know” or “to understand.” In contemporary Scottish usage, it commonly appears in expressions such as “I wate,” especially in dialogue, informal writing, and works preserving a Scottish dialect. The word also has an older English history as a past form of “know,” a use that can occur in archaic and dialect literature. Its modern pronunciation is generally represented as /weːt/, rhyming with “date” and “fate.” For many English speakers, however, the form is encountered mainly through Scottish writing and may be confused with “wait” or “weight” because of its spelling and pronunciation. Recognising “wate” as the Scots equivalent of “know” clarifies both its meaning and its distinctively Scottish literary presence.
To know, understand, or be aware; used chiefly in Scots.
"I wate exactly what you are thinking."
Chiefly Scottish in modern usage; the uncontracted infinitive is wate, as in “I wate,” while the third-person singular is wates.
An archaic past form of “know.”
"She wate that the danger was near."
This older sense survives in archaic and dialectal English but is not standard in contemporary usage.
Long before “wait” and “weight” drifted toward their modern spellings, “wate” simply meant “know” in Scots.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wate
The word comes from Old English wāt, the past form of witan, meaning “to know.” Scots retained wāt and developed the modern form wate, while the same past tense also survived in archaic English. Its broader English relatives include the Old English-derived forms “wisdom,” “wise,” and “witness,” all connected with knowledge or knowing.
How wate is actually used
The present-day form is chiefly associated with Scottish English and older Scottish literature. It also survives as an archaic or dialectal past form of “know,” but is not standard in present-day English.
Easily confused with wate
“Wate” means “know” in Scots and is archaic in English, whereas “wait” means to remain or postpone.
“Wate” is pronounced like “wayt,” while “weight” is pronounced like “wait.”