What does wot mean?
“Wot” is an unusual historical English verb form connected with “know.” In its most recognizable use, it is the past tense: “She wot the answer” means “She knew the answer.” It can also survive as an archaic or literary present form, especially in the second person: “thou wot” means “you know.” The form occurs chiefly in British dialect and in writing that imitates older English, including archaic dialogue, poetry, fantasy, and historical fiction. Its sounds and meanings reveal how sharply modern English has changed: many familiar verbs have simplified their inflections since Old English, while “wot” preserves traces of that earlier system. Although rarely essential in contemporary writing, it is valuable to readers because it is both recognizably English and evocative of antiquity. Recognizing its two functions also prevents confusion with “what,” whose sounds may resemble it in some regional accents.
verbWot is chiefly the past tense of “know,” as in “I wot the answer.” In archaic or literary English, it can also be the second-person singular present form, used with “thou,” meaning “know.”
- The past tense of “know,” especially in British dialectal English.
- The archaic or literary second-person singular present of “know,” normally used with “thou.”
"I wot not what he intends to say."
"I wot not what the old fellow is saying."
"Thou wot the path to the village well enough."
Wot is a linguistic time capsule: its past tense means “knew,” while its literary present still means “know.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wot
Wot derives from the Old English verb witan, meaning “to know.” Its past-tense form was wāt, while the present system included forms such as wot and wite; wāt later developed into modern “wot.” The form survived in dialect speech and in archaic and literary English, particularly in the expression “thou wot.” English words such as “wit” and “witness” belong to the same broad knowledge-related Germanic lexical family.
How wot is actually used
The word is uncommon in ordinary modern English. Its use is mainly regional, archaic, or deliberately literary, and the form “thou wot” is especially associated with older texts and stylized speech.
Easily confused with wot
“Wot” is a historical form of “know,” whereas “what” is used to ask about something or to introduce a question.