FromMiddle Englishwe, fromOld Englishwē(“we”), fromProto-West Germanic*wiʀ, fromProto-Germanic*wīz,*wiz(“we”), fromProto-Indo-European*wéy(“we (plural)”). Cognate withScotswee,we(“we”),North Frisianwe(“we”),West Frisianwy(“we”),Low Germanwi(“we”),Dutchwe,wij(“we”),Germanwir(“we”),Danish,Swedish andNorwegianvi(“we”),Icelandicvér,við(“we”),Avestan𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨(vaēm),Sanskritवयम्(vayám).

• (Received Pronunciation,Canada)enPR:wē,IPA^(key):/wiː/

• Audio(UK):

  (file)

• Audio:

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• (General American)IPA^(key):/wi/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Homophones:oui,wee,Wii(wine–whine merger);whee
• Rhymes:-iː

we (first-person pluralpersonal pronoun nominative case,objective caseus,possessive determinerour,possessive pronounours,reflexiveourselves,reflexive singularourself)

1. Two or more people including or consisting of the speaker(s)/writer(s).
   2. Excluding the person(s) being addressed.(This is theexclusivewe.)

      We are here to arrest you.

      • 2017 February 20, Paul Mason, “Climate scepticism is a far-right badge of honour – even in sweltering Australia”, inthe Guardian‎^[1]:

        It’s time to overcome queasiness and restraint.We, the liberal and progressive people of the world, are at war with the far right to save the earth.

   4. Including the person(s) being addressed.(This is theinclusivewe.)

      We need to have a talk, you and me.

3. The institution which the speaker/writer is acting for.(This is theeditorialwe, used by writers and others when speaking with the authority of their publication or organisation.)

   We will in due course state our reasons for publishing the name of the accused.

   As the government,we have a duty to ensure public safety.

   • 2021, Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, “Paper No. CMAB C4/9/1”, inDocuments of the Hong Kong Legislative Council‎^[2], page 1:

     In light of the promulgation of the aforementioned laws and decisions,we (the administration) propose to make the following amendments to local legislation to implement the relevant requirements on oath taking by public officers.

4. Any other entity that the speaker is a part of or identifies with, such as place of employment or education,nation,region,language, etc.

   I went to watch our school football match against Puddletown High.We lost 2-0.

   In English,we do not inflect adjectives for gender.

6. People in general.

   We live and learn.

   We still have much to learn about quantum mechanics.

   • 2013 July-August,Stephen P. Lownie,David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke”, inAmerican Scientist:

     Aswe age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels.

8. (royal) Thesovereign alone in his or her capacity asmonarch.(This is theroyalwe. The reflexive case of this sense ofwe isourself.)

   We are Queen of all these Isles.

9. (colloquial) Everyone being addressed.

   Good evening everyone. How arewe all tonight?

11. (colloquial; may sometimes seem patronising) An individual being addressed;used especially to a person in the speaker's care, or to whom advice or instruction is being given.(Sometimes called thenurse'swe or thedoctor'swe.)

    Hello Mrs Miggins. How arewe feeling this morning?

    You've been spending all your money boozing when you have a wife and family to support. I thinkwe need to get our priorities straight.

    • 1836, “Boz” [pseudonym;Charles Dickens], “The Boarding-House”, inSketches by “Boz,” Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. […], volume I, London: John Macrone, […],→OCLC, chapter II,page204:

      “Well, my dear ma’am, and how arewe?” inquired Wosky in a soothing tone. / “Very ill, doctor—very ill,” said Mrs. Bloss in a whisper.

    • 2008 May 13, Tom Armstrong,Marvin (comic):

      Arewe ready to go to bed, sweetie?

12. (colloquial,uncommon)Used to refer to a third person, especially someone in the speaker's care.

    "I've just been to see Mrs Miggins." — "And how is she?" — "I'm afraidwe aren't too good today."

13. Used to connect to or include readers or listeners.
    1. (colloquial)Used to imply connection between the speaker's experiences or activities and a group of listeners.(Compare theplural of modesty.)

       Hey guys, in this video I'll show you how I make my upside-down sponge cake. Firstwe take 200 g of butter andwe whisk in 200 g of sugar. Next,we ...

       • 2021 January 6, 3:38:03 from the start, inRally on Electoral College Vote Certification‎^[3] (television broadcast), spoken by Donald Trump, Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN):

         All Vice President [Mike] Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify andwe become president and you are the happiest people.

       • 2021 June 24, “Far from Home” (3:07 from the start), inAlone‎^[4], season 9, episode 4 (televison production), spoken by Theresa Emmerich Kamper, via HISTORY Channel:

         [Today is] not a day to think about fishing sowe will get back to working on the shelter. [cut in video] Cool, so I guess the best analogy for this, then, is thatwe've basically framed the house, and nowwe get to shingle.

       • 2022 October 25, 32:11 from the start, Vote 2022, in Joseph Camp, director,PBS NewsHour‎^[5] (television production), spoken by John Fetterman, via Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), archived fromthe original on2022-10-25:

         The elephant in the room, you know,we had a stroke back in May.

    2. Used in explanatory or procedural writing, such as mathematical explanations, to imply inclusion of the reader in the undertaking.

       To solve the equation,we first collect all the terms inx on one side.

14. (colloquial)Used when talking to oneself to refer to oneself.

    Now then ... let me see ... I hope I'm doing this right ... ifwe just connect these two wires together ...

15. (West Country,archaic)Us.
16. (bridge) The side which iskeeping score.

    Antonym:they

• Jamaican Creole:wi
• Sranan Tongo:wi

we

1. Designates the speaker(s)/writer(s) as belonging to or constituting the stated category of people.

   We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different.

   We the undersigned wish to express our disapproval.

(Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key):/wə/

• Audio(Southern England):

  (file)

we

2. (Geordie)Us.

   He was a propa gadgie, and always boughtwe drinks after a long shift.

   He was a great guy, and always boughtus drinks after a long shift.

   And what have you done forwe since? Nowt!

   And what have you done forus since? Nothing!

Not to be confused with Tynesideus(“me”).

• EW,e͞w,ew,E&W

we (dualwerom,pluralwekon)

1. tree kangaroo

• Newguineaworld, citing Donohue and Musgrave,Abinomn nominal number (2007: 365)

we

1. (Mpakwithi)owl

• Terry Crowley,The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 189

• IPA^(key):/we/

we

1. water

   kô-ny we

   'my (glass/drink of) water'

• A Study of Space in Caac, an Oceanic Language

• wi,wu

FromEnglishwe.

• IPA^(key):/wi/

we

1. we,us1st person plural subject and object personal pronoun

we

1. our,1st person pluralpossessive determiner

we (pluralkewe)

1. (possessive subject marker)the(singular)

wẹ

1. water

• ạị

• Karl J. Franklin,Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67
• Karl James Franklin,Pacific Linguistics (1973,→ISBN, page 130: Polopaso/sou woman, cf. DARsou female animal butwe woman. Several multiple cognate sets appeared in the data. Daribi uses bothạị andwẹ for water; some Polopa speakers gave one term, some another. Both are probably known everywhere.

Seewij.

• IPA^(key):/ʋə/

• Audio:

  (file)

we (personal pronoun)

1. we

• wij

• Jersey Dutch:wê

• ons

we

1. scar

FromProto-Oceanic*waiʀ, fromProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

we

1. water(clear liquid H₂O)

• André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre,Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

Inherited fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiR.

we

1. (Talur)water

• Bryan Hinton,The languages of Wetar, inSpices from the east: Papers in languages of eastern Indonesia (2000), page 121

FromProto-Oceanic*waiʀ, fromProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

• IPA^(key):/we/

we

1. water(clear liquid H₂O)

• Jean Claude Rivierre, Sabine Ehrhart, Raymond Diéla,Le Bwatoo: et les dialectes de la région de Koné (2006)

FromProto-Oceanic*waiʀ, fromProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

• IPA^(key):/we/

we

1. water(clear liquid H₂O)

• Jean Claude Rivierre, Sabine Ehrhart, Raymond Diéla,Le Bwatoo: et les dialectes de la région de Koné (2006)

FromProto-Oceanic*waiʀ, fromProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

we

1. water

• Leenhardt, M. (1946)Langues et dialectes de l'Austro-Mèlanèsie. Cited in: "ʰMoavekɛ" in Greenhill, S.J.,Blust, R., &Gray, R.D. (2008).The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics.Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

Fromw +‎-e.

• IPA^(key):/we/,/wɛ/

we (pluralwe-i)

1. The name of theLatin script letterW/w.

• Latin script letter names:literi:a ·be ·ce ·che ·de ·e ·fe ·ge ·he ·i ·je ·ke ·le ·me ·ne ·o ·pe ·que ·re ·se ·she ·te ·u ·ve ·we ·xe ·ye ·ze ^[edit]

FromDutchwee.

• IPA^(key):/we/,[we]

wé (pluralwe-we)

1. The name of theLatin-script letterW/w.

• dabel yu(Standard Malay)

• (Latin-script letter names)huruf;a,be,ce,de,e,ef,ge,ha,i,je,ka,el,em,en,o,pe,ki,er,es,te,u,ve,we,eks,ye,zet

• “we” inKamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta:Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

(Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)

we

1. that
   • 2023,Yuunivorshal Deklarieshan a Yuuman Raits, United Nations, Aatikl 25:

     Umanwe a mada an pikni disorv speshal kier an elp.

     Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.

     (literally, “Womenthat are mothers, and children, deserve special care and help.”)

Derived fromEnglishwhere.

we

1. where
   • 2012,Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment, Edinburgh: DJB, published2012,→ISBN,Maak 14:14:

     Wen im go iina wan ous, tel di uona fi di ous se, "Di tiicha se fi aks yu se:We di ges ruum dewe mi kyan nyam di Paasuova fuud wid mi speshal falara dem?"

     and when he goes into a house, ask the ownerwhere I and my disciples can celebrate the Passover.

• we at majstro.com

we

1. Rōmaji transcription ofゑ
2. Rōmaji transcription ofヱ
3. Rōmaji transcription ofうぇ
4. Rōmaji transcription ofウェ

FromProto-Oceanic*waiʀ, fromProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

we

1. water(clear liquid H₂O)

• André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre,Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

• IPA^(key):/ˈvɛ/
• Rhymes:-ɛ
• Syllabification:we

we

1. Alternative form ofw.

• IPA^(key):/wɛ(ː)/

we (second person singular)

1. you,thou

• -aku(“your, thy”)

• IPA^(key):/wɛ/

we (third person singular)

1. s/he

• -ake(“his/her”)

• “we” in Benson, T.G. (1964).Kikuyu-English dictionary, p. 561. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

we

1. water

• Greenhill, S. J., Blust. R, Gray, R. D. (2008) “The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics”, inEvolutionary Bioinformatics‎^[6], number 4, archived fromthe original on18 April 2017, pages271-283
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*wahiR”, in the CLDF dataset fromThe Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–),→DOI

• IPA^(key):/wɛ/

we [withlocative]

1. Alternative form ofw(especially before labial consonants and consonant clusters)

we (we⁵ /we⁰,Zhuyin˙ㄨㄝ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of喂

we

1. Nonstandard spelling ofwē.

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the criticaltonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

we(Raguileo spelling)

1. new,recent

• Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.

fromOld Englishwē(“we”), fromProto-West Germanic*wiʀ, fromProto-Germanic*wīz,*wiz(“we”), fromProto-Indo-European*wéy(“we (plural)”). Comparewit(first person dual pronoun).

The Southwest Midland pronunciation with/øː/ is due to the rounding effect of the preceding/w/.

• ve,whe
• huue,hwe,vue,wæ(Early Middle English)
• weo,woe,wue(Southwest Midlands)

• IPA^(key):/weː/,(Southwest Midlands)/wøː/

we (accusativeus, we,genitiveoure,possessive determineroures)

2. First-person plural pronoun:we
3. First-person plural accusative pronoun:us

• English:we
  • Jamaican Creole:wi
  • Sranan Tongo:wi
• Scots:we,oo
• Yola:wough,wu,wee,we,w'

• “we,pron.”, inMED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.:University of Michigan,2007, retrieved10 May 2018.

FromOld Englishwēa, fromProto-Germanic*waiwô.Doublet ofwowe.

• wee,wea,wæ

• IPA^(key):/wɛː/,/weː/

we (uncountable)

2. woe,grief,sadness

• “wẹ̄,n.”, inMED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.:University of Michigan,2007, retrieved2018-12-30.

• Certainly:Stem vowel: ê⁴
  • (originally)IPA^(key):/weː/

FromOld Saxonhwē, fromProto-West Germanic*hwaʀ, fromProto-Germanic*hwaz.

wê (accusativewēneorwen,dativewēmeorwem,genitivewes)

1. (interrogative,masculine,feminine)who

FromProto-Germanic*wiz.

wê

1. (personal, first person, in theplural, nominative)Alternative form ofwî.

we

1. blood

• Gary Holton and Laura Robinson,The Internal History of the Alor-Pantar language family, inThe Alor-Pantar languages: History and Typology, edited by Marian Klamer
• transnewguinea.org (wæ),ASJP 1 (wE i.e. wɛ),ASJP 2 (we)

FromProto-Oceanic*waiʀ, fromProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

we

1. water(clear liquid H₂O)

• André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre,Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

FromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

we

1. water

• Darrell T. Tryon,New Hebrides languages: an internal classification (1976)
• George William Grace,The position of the Polynesian languages within the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family (1959)

FromOld Frisianwī, fromProto-Germanic*wīz, fromProto-Indo-European*wéy.

we(Mooring)

1. we(first-person plural personal pronoun)

• wi(Föhr-Amrum)
• wü(Sylt)

FromProto-Oceanic*waiʀ, fromProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

we

1. water(clear liquid H₂O)

• Jim Hollyman, K. J. Hollyman,Études sur les langues du Nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (1991),page 81

• wœ̄ —Northumbrian
• wæ
• ƿē

FromProto-Germanic*wiz,*wīz, fromProto-Indo-European*wéy, plural of*éǵh₂.

Cognate withOld Frisianwī (West Frisianwy),Old Saxonwī (Low Germanwi),Old Dutchwī (Dutchwij),Old High Germanwir (Germanwir),Old Norsevér (Danish andSwedishvi),Gothic𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃(weis).

• IPA^(key):/weː/

wē (personal pronoun)

1. we (nominativeplural ofiċ)
   • c. 990,Wessex Gospels,Matthew 6:9-13

     Fæder ūre, þū þe eart in heofenum, sī þīn nama ġehālgod. Tōbecume þīn rīċe. Ġeweorþe þīn willa on eorþan, swā swā on heofenum. Ūrne dæġhwāmlīċan hlāf syleūs tōdæġ. And forġȳfūs ūre ġyltas, swā swāwē forġȳfaþ ūrum ġyltendum. And ne ġelǣde þūūs on costnunge, ac alȳsūs of yfle: sōþlīċe.

     Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on Earth as it is in heaven. Giveus this day our daily bread; and forgiveus our trespasses, aswe forgive those who trespass against us; and leadus not into temptation, but deliverus from evil. Amen.

• Middle English:we,ve,whe,huue,hwe,vue,wæ(Early Middle English),weo,woe,wue(Southwest Midlands)
  • English:we
    • Jamaican Creole:wi
    • Sranan Tongo:wi
  • Scots:we,oo
  • Yola:wough,wu,wee,we,w'

• IPA^(key):/we/

FromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*waʀi, fromProto-Austronesian*waʀi.Doublet ofwari.

we

1. sun
2. day

Zoetmulder usedOld Javanesewe as primary entry for sun and day sense, whileOld Javanesewwe used for water as primary entry.

• > Javanese:ꦮꦺ(wé)(inherited)

we

1. Alternative spelling ofwwe(“water”)

• "we" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson,Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

• IPA^(key):(10^th–15^th CE)/vɛ/
• IPA^(key):(15^th CE)/vɛ/

we

1. Alternative form ofw

FromProto-Oceanic*waiʀ, fromProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.

we

1. water(clear liquid H₂O)

• André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre,Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

• IPA^(key):/ˈvɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ɛ
• Syllabification:we

we

1. Alternative form ofw, used mostly before words that begin with consonant clusters.

• oo

Inherited fromMiddle Englishwe, fromOld Englishwē(“we”), fromProto-West Germanic*wiʀ, fromProto-Germanic*wīz,*wiz(“we”), fromProto-Indo-European*wéy(“we (plural)”). Cognate withEnglishwe.

• (stressed)IPA^(key):/wi/
  • (Southern Scots)IPA^(key):/wəi/(sometimes spelledwey)
• (unstressed)IPA^(key):/wə/(sometimes spelledwa)

we

1. we
2. us