weren

English

Etymology

From Middle English weren, from Old English wǣron, plural past indicative of bēon, and wǣren, plural past subjunctive of bēon, equivalent to were +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

weren

1. (obsolete) plural simple past of be
   • 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC; reprinted as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, The Shepheardes Calender […], London: John C. Nimmo, […], 1890, →OCLC:

     But sike fancies weren foolerie,
     And broughten this Oake to this miserye.

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Therein an hundred raunges weren pight,
     And hundred fornaces all burning bright;

   • 1889, John Gower, edited by Henry Morley, Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins: Being the Confessio Amantis:

     For of the falsé Moabites
     Forth with the strength of Amonites
     Of that they weren first misget,

Anagrams

• newer, renew

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋeːrə(n)/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: we‧ren
• Rhymes: -eːrən

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch wēren, from Old Dutch *werien, from Proto-West Germanic *warjan, from Proto-Germanic *warjaną.

Verb

weren

1. (transitive) to hold back, to keep out
2. (reflexive) to defend oneself, to put up resistance

Inflection

Inflection of weren (weak)
infinitive	weren
past singular	weerde
past participle	geweerd
infinitive	weren
gerund	weren n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	weer	weerde
2nd person sing. (jij)	weert	weerde
2nd person sing. (u)	weert	weerde
2nd person sing. (gij)	weert	weerde
3rd person singular	weert	weerde
plural	weren	weerden
subjunctive sing.1	were	weerde
subjunctive plur.1	weren	weerden
imperative sing.	weer
imperative plur.1	weert
participles	werend	geweerd
1) Archaic.

Derived terms

• afweren
• beweren
• verweren
• weerbaar
• weermacht

 

Descendants

• Afrikaans: weer

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

weren

1. plural of weer

Middle Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *werien, from Proto-West Germanic *warjan.

Verb

wēren

2. hold back, to keep out, to resist
3. to prevent
4. to protect
5. to fight against, to oppose
6. to object (in court)
7. to refuse, to deny

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: weren
• Limburgish: waere

Etymology 2

From Old Dutch *werien, from Proto-West Germanic *waʀjan.

Verb

wēren

2. to continue, persist

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: weren (obsolete)

Further reading

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

Middle English

Etymology 1

From a conflation of Old English wǣron, the plural indicative past of wesan (from Proto-Germanic *wēzun, the third-person plural indicative past of *wesaną) and Old English wǣren, the plural subjunctive past of wesan (from Proto-Germanic *wēzīn, the third-person plural subjunctive past of *wesaną).

Alternative forms

• were, wern, weryn
• (after Old Norse vera) waren, warn, worn, woren

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛːr(ə)n/, /ˈwɛr(ə)n/

Verb

weren

1. plural past indicative/subjunctive of been
   • c. 1450, Richard the Redeless:

     And rafte was youre riott and rest, for youre daiez weren wikkid […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 1450, Prose Merlin:

     Whan these thre kynges weren abedde and at her ese that nyght, the storye seith that they lay till on the morn that thei ronge to messe right erly, for it was a litill afore Halowmesse.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Descendants

• English: were (obsolete wern, weren)

Etymology 2

From Old English werian. Strong forms are analogical to beren, teren, etc.

Alternative forms

• wern, werien, veren

Verb

weren (third-person singular simple present wereth, present participle werende, werynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle wered)

1. to wear, be clothed with

Conjugation

Conjugation of weren (weak in -ed or strong class 4)

infinitive	(to) weren, were
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	were	wered, war, wer
2nd-person singular	werest	weredest, were, ware, war, wer
3rd-person singular	wereth	wered, war, wer
subjunctive singular	were	wered1, were1, ware1
imperative singular		—
plural2	weren, were	wereden, werede, weren, were, waren, ware
imperative plural	wereth, were	—
participles	werynge, werende	wered, woren, worn, ywered

¹Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
²Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: wear
• Scots: were, weir
• Yola: waare

References

• “wēren, v.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 3

Verb

weren

1. Alternative form of werren