English

Alternative forms

• ywis (13th-17th centuries)
• iwys (14th-16th centuries)

Adverb

iwis ‎(not comparable)

1. (poetic, archaic) Certainly, surely, indeed.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur, Bk.V:

     Thou art welcome iwys, for thou sekyst aftir sorow!

   • 1842, Thomas Macaulay, Horatius:

     Iwis, in all the Senate / There was no heart so bold […].

   • 1890, James Russell Lowell, Poetical Works:

     God vanished long ago, iwis, A mere subjective synthesis