beware

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From Middle English bewar, be war, be ware, forms of Middle English ben ware (“to be on one's guard, be vigilant”, literally “be ware”), equivalent to be +‎ ware.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˌbiˈwɛəɹ/, IPA^(key): /ˌbɪˈwɛəɹ/ IPA^(key): /ˌbəˈwɛəɹ/

  Rhymes: -ɛə(r)

Verb

beware

1. (defective, transitive, intransitive) To use caution, pay attention to (used both with and without of).
   • Bible, Exodus xxiii. 20, 21

     Behold, I send an Angel before thee […] . Beware of him, and obey his voice.

   • Template:RQ:Shakespeare Caesar

     Beware the Ides of March.

Usage notes

The verb was traditionally used without of (e.g. "beware the ides of March", from Julius Caesar Act 1, scene 2, 15–19, by Shakespeare), but it is often used with the preposition today.

The verb beware has become a defective verb and now lacks forms such as the third-person singular simple present bewares and the simple past bewared. It can only be used imperatively (Beware of the dog!), subjunctively (It's important that he beware of the dog), or as an infinitive (You must beware of the dog or They told me to beware of the dog).

The inflected forms bewares, bewared, and bewaring are called obsolete in Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage, along with the simple indicative "I beware". The forms bewares and bewared are very rarely found in modern texts, though bewaring is slightly less rare. These inflections are more likely to be found in very old texts.

The meanings of the obsolete inflected forms can be easily understood by replacing "beware" with the more modern equivalent consisting of a conjugated form of "be" and the word "wary". For example "bewares" means the same as "is wary", "bewared" the same as "was wary", etc.

Translations

use caution, pay attention (to)

• Arabic: حَذَارِ (ḥaḏāri), اِحْذَرْ (iḥḏar)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: внимавай (bg) (vnimavaj), пази се от (pazi se ot)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: varoa (fi)
• French: faire attention (fr)
• Galician: ollo (gl), mirar por
• Georgian: მორიდება (morideba), ფრთხილად ყოფნა (prtxilad q̇opna), გაფრთხილება (gaprtxileba)
• German: Vorsicht (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: varast
• Interlingue:
• Italian: temere (it), guardarsi, fare attenzione
• Latin: caveō (la), videsis, vide sis, sis vide
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: passe seg (for)
• Polish: strzeż się
• Portuguese: precaver-se, prestar atenção
• Russian: остерега́ться (ru) impf (osteregátʹsja)
• Spanish: tener cuidado, ser precavido
• Swedish: akta sig (för)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

beware

1. (deprecated template usage) (archaic) singular present subjunctive of bewaren