ware

See also: Ware, wãrẽ, warē, wäre, and -ware

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English ware, war, from Old English wær, from Proto-West Germanic *war, from Proto-Germanic *waraz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɛə(ɹ)/
• enPR: wâr, IPA^(key): /wɛɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
• Homophones: wear, we're, where

Adjective

ware (comparative more ware, superlative most ware)

1. (poetic) Aware.

Usage notes

Replaced by intensified form aware.

Derived terms

• aware
• beware
• unware

Noun

ware (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) The state of being aware; heed.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wyclif to this entry?)

Etymology 2

From Middle English ware, from Old English waru, from Proto-West Germanic *waru, from Proto-Germanic *warō (“attention”) as in beware, in the sense of “an object of care, a valuable”, from Proto-Indo-European *wer-, whence also ward. Cognate with Dutch waar (“goods offered for sale or use”) and Swedish vara, with the same meaning.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɛə(ɹ)/
• enPR: wĕr, IPA^(key): /wɛɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
• Homophones: wear, where

Noun

ware (usually uncountable, plural wares)

1. (uncountable, usually in combination) Goods or a type of goods offered for sale or use.
   • 1923, John Lord, Capital and steam-power, 1750–1800‎^[1]:

     Astbury was the more successful and made frequent journeys to London, where he sold his ware and obtained further orders.

   • 2011, Tonya Kappes, Carpe Bead'em‎^[2]:

     What in the world am I going to do with tarnished silver ware? The deeper I dig, I pull out more silver with carved handles.
2. (in the plural) See wares.
3. (uncountable) Pottery or metal goods.

   damascene ware, tole ware

4. (countable, archaeology) A style or genre of artifact.
5. (Ireland) Crockery.

Derived terms

• Biddery ware
• Corded Ware culture
• -ware

Translations

product

• Bulgarian: изделие (bg) n (izdelie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 货物 (zh) (huòwù)

• Esperanto: varo (eo)
• Finnish: tavara (fi), kauppatavara (fi)
• German: Ware (de) f
• Hungarian: áru (hu)
• Hunsrik: Waar f
• Ido: varo (io)
• Indonesian: perangkat (id)
• Italian: merce (it), mercanzia (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 品 (ja) (shina)
• Norwegian: vare (no)
• Polish: towar (pl) m
• Russian: това́р (ru) m (továr)
• Spanish: mercancía (es) f
• Swedish: vara (sv) c
• Turkish: emtia (tr), meta (tr), eşya (tr), mal (tr), malmalzeme
• Ukrainian: това́р (uk) m (továr), крам (kram), ви́роби (výroby)
• Welsh: nwydd (cy) m or f

Etymology 3

From Middle English waren (“to be ware, be on guard, be mindful, protect, guard”), from Old English warian, from Proto-West Germanic *warōn, from Proto-Germanic *warōną. Cognate with Saterland Frisian woarje (“to guard”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɛə(ɹ)/
• enPR: wĕr, IPA^(key): /wɛɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
• Homophones: wear, where

Verb

ware (third-person singular simple present wares, present participle waring, simple past and past participle wared)

1. (obsolete or dialectal) To be ware or mindful of something.
   • 1450, Palladius on Husbondrieː

     Ware the horn and heels lest they fling a flap to thee.

   • c. 1450, Who Ðat Liste Lokeː

     Ware avoutrer untrue; Such love was never good ne may be true.

   • c. 1470, The Macro Playsː

     ‘Ware that!’ quoth Ser Wyly.

   • 1987, Kangs in Doctor Who: Paradise Towers

     Ware cleaners.

2. (obsolete) To protect or guard (especially oneself); to be on guard, be wary.

   Ware thee. ― Watch yourself.

Translations

beware of something

• Ido: -aj
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: diffidare (it), stare all'erta
• Ukrainian: берегти́ся (uk) (berehtýsja)

Adjective

ware (comparative more ware, superlative most ware)

1. (obsolete) Wary; cautious.
   • 1549 April 1 (Gregorian calendar), Hughe Latymer [i.e., Hugh Latimer], Augustine Bernher, compiler, “[27 Sermons Preached by the Ryght Reuerende Father in God and Constant Matir of Iesus Christe, Maister Hugh Latimer, […].] The Thyrde Sermon of Maister Hughe Latymer whyche He Preached before the Kynge [Edward VI], wythin Hys Graces Palayce at Westminster, the XXII. Daye of Marche.”, in Certayn Godly Sermons, Made uppon the Lords Prayer, […], London: […] John Day, […], published 1562, →OCLC, folio 39, verso:

     He is ware inough; he is wilye, and circumſpect for ſtirring vp any ſedition.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Timothy 4:15:

     Of whom be thou ware also.

Derived terms

• wary

Related terms

• ward

Etymology 4

From Middle English *wor (in sewor) from Old English wār (“seaweed”), ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *wīraz; compare wire. Cognate with Dutch wier (“seaweed”), Middle Dutch wier (“seaweed”).

Noun

ware

1. (obsolete, UK, dialect) Seaweed.

Derived terms

• ware goose

Etymology 5

Verb

ware (third-person singular simple present wares, present participle waring, simple past and past participle wared)

1. (nautical) To wear, or veer.

Etymology 6

Verb

ware

1. Old eye dialect spelling of were.
   • c. 1815, Mary Woody, A true account of Nayomy Wise

     A larg concors ware standing round

References

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “ware”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Anagrams

• -wear, Awre, Wear, arew, wear

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Afrikaans

Verb

ware

1. imperfect subjunctive of wees

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋaːrə/

Adjective

ware

1. (deprecated template usage) Inflected form of waar

Verb

ware

1. (deprecated template usage) (archaic) singular past subjunctive of zijn
2. (deprecated template usage) (archaic) singular present subjunctive of waren

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Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wáː.ɽèː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [wáː.ɽèː]

Verb

wārḕ (grade 4)

1. to separate things, to set things aside
2. to secede

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Japanese

Romanization

ware

1. Rōmaji transcription of われ

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Maori

Adjective

ware

1. ignorant

Noun

ware

1. saliva

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Middle Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *wara, from Proto-Germanic *warō, probably related to *waraz (“wary, watchful”).

Noun

wāre f

1. merchandise, product

Inflection

Weak feminine
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	wāre	wāren
Accusative	wāre	wāren
Genitive	wāren	wāren
Dative	wāre, wāren	wāren

Descendants

• Dutch: waar
• Limburgish: waar

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

wâre

1. first/third-person singular past subjunctive of wēsen

Further reading

• “ware (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “ware (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

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Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

ware

1. Alternative form of veir

Etymology 2

Noun

ware

1. Alternative form of werre

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Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German wërden, from Old High German werdan. Compare German werden.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋaːrə/

Verb

ware

1. to become

Conjugation

Conjugation of ware

infinitive	ware
past participle	iss ware
future tense	waerd ware
subjunctive	daet ware
	present tense
1st person singular	wa
2nd person singular	wascht
3rd person singular	watt
1st person  plural	ware
2nd person plural	watt
3rd person plural	ware
imperative	du war, dihr watt

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Scots

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [wer], [war], [voːr]

Noun

ware (plural wares)

1. spring, springtime
2. cold weather in springtime

Synonyms

• spring

Etymology 2

Ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *wīraz; compare wire.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [weːr]

Noun

ware (plural wares)

1. a type of seaweed

Derived terms

• warebrak

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Yola

Verb

ware

1. Alternative form of war (“were”)
   • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3:

     Aar gentrize ware bibbern, aamzil cou no stoane.

     Their gentry were quaking, themselves could not stand.

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 84