Mental faculties or intelligence, especially quick thinking and cleverness. Often used in phrases like 'keep your wits about you' or 'at wit's end.'
From Old English 'witt' meaning 'intelligence' or 'understanding', related to 'witan' (to know). The plural form developed by Middle English to emphasize the collection of mental faculties. The phrase 'battle of wits' appeared in the 16th century.
The expression 'at wit's end' originally meant reaching the limit of one's mental resources to solve a problem, and it appeared in the Bible's Psalm 107. Interestingly, 'wit' used to mean general intelligence, but gradually narrowed to mean clever humor - showing how language can become more specialized over time.
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