Wisdom
Etymology
From Old English "wisdom," combining "wis" (wise) with the suffix "-dom" (state, condition, dominion — as in "kingdom" and "freedom"). "Wise" traces to a Proto-Indo-European root "*weid-" meaning "to see," hence "to know" — the same ancient root behind "vision," "wit," and "video." Wisdom is, at bottom, the condition of one who has truly seen.
noun · /WIZ-duhm/
Sound judgment about how to live and act, drawn from knowledge, experience, and insight.
What it names
Reach for it to name the knowing-how of a good life — not facts, but the seasoned judgment that applies them well.
Example
It took decades of wisdom to know which battles were worth fighting and which to let pass.
Related idea
Knowledge is possessing information; intelligence is the horsepower to process it; wisdom is knowing what matters and what to do — often visible as restraint where the merely clever would act. Prudence is its practical, decision-level cousin.