To know or understand something; an archaic or obsolete form meaning to become aware of or learn about.
From Middle English 'be-' + 'wit' (from Old English 'witan,' meaning 'to know'). The verb 'wit' meant 'to know,' and 'bewit' emphasized the state of becoming aware. This word is essentially obsolete, replaced by 'know' and other verbs.
The verb 'wit' (meaning 'to know') survives in the phrase 'to wit' (meaning 'that is to say'), but 'bewit' has vanished completely from English. It's a fossil word showing how completely English has reorganized which verbs we use to express knowledge—'wit' belonged to a system that got replaced entirely.
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