Originally meant 'against' — from PIE *wi- (apart). Old sense survives in 'withstand' and 'withdraw.'
Accompanied by; having or possessing; by means of; in relation to.
From Old English 'wið' (against, opposite, toward, in exchange for), from Proto-Germanic *wiþra (against), from PIE *wi-tero- (more apart), comparative form of *wi- (apart, away, in two). The original meaning was 'against' — the exact opposite of the modern comitative sense 'together with.' The shift from 'against' to 'with' occurred during Middle English, probably influenced by Old Norse 'við' (with, against), which carried