The word 'twit' has a journey from a serious accusation to a light-hearted jab. It originates from the Old English verb 'ætwītan', meaning 'to reproach or blame', formed from 'æt-' (at) and 'wītan' (to know, to see). The underlying sense was 'to throw knowledge at someone', implying a reproach based on what one knows or sees. Over centuries, the initial 'æt-' was lost, and the severity of the meaning softened considerably. By the 16th century, it evolved into the verb 'twit', meaning to taunt or blame, and by the 18th century, it had acquired its modern, gentler sense of teasing. The noun form, meaning a foolish person, developed in the early 20th century from the idea of someone who is an object of such teasing or ridicule.

This is a simplex word of Germanic origin. The modern form is a direct continuation of the Old English verb 'ætwītan', meaning 'to reproach, blame'. The core element is related to the Old English 'wītan', meaning 'to know, see, guard', which is connected to the Proto-Germanic root wītaną and further to the Proto-Indo-European root weyd- ('to see, know').