From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ywis \Y*wis"\, adv. [OE. ywis, iwis, AS. gewis certain; akin to
D. gewis, G. gewiss, and E. wit to know. See {Wit} to know,
and {Y-}.]
Certainly; most likely; truly; probably. [Obs. or Archaic]
[1913 Webster]
"Ywis," quod he, "it is full dear, I say." --Chaucer.
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She answered me, "I-wisse, all their sport in the park
is but a shadow to that pleasure that I find in Plato."
--Ascham.
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A right good knight, and true of word ywis. --Spenser.
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Note: The common form iwis was often written with the prefix
apart from the rest of the word and capitalized, as, I
wis, I wisse, etc. The prefix was mistaken for the
pronoun, I and wis, wisse, for a form of the verb wit
to know. See {Wis}, and cf. {Wit}, to know.
[1913 Webster]
Our ship, I wis,
Shall be of another form than this. --Longfellow.
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