FromMiddle Englishware, fromOld Englishwaru, fromProto-West Germanic*waru, fromProto-Germanic*warō(“attention”) as inbeware, in the sense of “an object of care, a valuable”,[1] fromProto-Indo-European*wer-(“to watch, keep guard”), whence alsoward. Cognate withDutchwaar(“goods offered for sale or use”) andSwedishvara, with the same meaning.
ware (usuallyuncountable,pluralwares)
- (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 hisware and obtained further orders.
2002 March 28, “Kenya National Assembly Official Record”, inparliamentary debates:On Sunday, a Mr. Stephen Muturi Kamau, aged 20 years, was shot dead at Dandora while he was selling hisware. This is a well known hawker. He has been hawking hisware in Dandora.
2011, Tonya Kappes,Carpe Bead'em[2]:What in the world am I going to do with tarnished silverware? The deeper I dig, I pull out more silver with carved handles.
2012, Julie Watson,Frommer's Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island[3], page179:Artisans sell theirware in the historic district at the lower level of the Soldier's Barracks.
- (in theplural)Seewares.
- (uncountable)Pottery or metal goods.
- damasceneware,toleware
- (countable, archaeology) A style orgenre ofartifact.
- (Ireland)Crockery.
FromMiddle Englishware,war, fromOld Englishwær, fromProto-West Germanic*war, fromProto-Germanic*waraz.
ware (comparativemoreware,superlativemostware)
- (poetic)Aware.
1485 July,Sir Thomas Malory, chapterI, inWilliam Caxton, editor,Le Morte D’Arthur[4], volume 1:And in like wise as she said so they departed, that neither the king nor none of his council wereware of their departing.
1922,E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison,The Worm Ouroboros[5], London: Jonathan Cape,page 1:But here thou canst not handle aught, neither make the folkware of thee, not though thou shout thy throat hoarse. For thou and I walk here impalpable and invisible, as it were two dreams walking.
Replaced by intensified formaware.
FromMiddle Englishwaren(“to be ware, be on guard, be mindful, protect, guard”), fromOld Englishwarian, fromProto-West Germanic*warōn, fromProto-Germanic*warōną. Cognate withSaterland Frisianwoarje(“to guard”).
ware (third-person singular simple presentwares,present participlewaring,simple past and past participlewared)
- (obsolete or dialectal) To be ware ormindful 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,Doctor Who: Paradise Towers:Ware cleaners.
- (obsolete) Toprotect orguard (especially oneself); to be on guard, be wary.
- Ware thee. ―Watch yourself.
ware (comparativemoreware,superlativemostware)
- (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.”, inCertayn Godly Sermons, Made uppon the Lords Prayer, […], London: […] John Day, […], published1562,→OCLC,folio 39, verso:He isware inough; he is wilye, and circumſpect for ſtirring vp any ſedition.
1864, Thomas Oswald Cockayne,Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England, page385:Be he quite wary, as wood isware of fire, as thigh of bramble or of thistle, he, who may be thinking to mislead these beeves or to mispossess this cattle.
FromMiddle Englishwor (insewor) fromOld Englishwār(“seaweed”), ultimately related toProto-Germanic*wīraz; comparewire. Cognate withScotswair(“seaweed”),Dutchwier(“seaweed”),Middle Dutchwier(“seaweed”).
ware
- (obsolete, UK, dialect)Seaweed;drift seaweed;seawrack.
1844, Henry Stephens,The book of the farm, page1238:On many of the farms in East Lothian, from 100 to 120 Imperial acres are annually manured with sea-ware; and when I mention that 30 double-cart loads are spread on 1 acre, you may conceive the labour incurred in carting from 3000 to 3600 loads during a short season; for it is only in winter that theware is cast ashore by storms, […]
1861 April 25, “William Baird, Appellant, v. William Ranken Fortune, Respondent”, inThe Scottish Jurist: Being Reports of Cases Decided in the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and in the House of Lords on Appeal from Scotland, page437:The said farm, having been possessed[…] in the deed of 12th July 1794, with the privilege of takingware from the sea-shore for the use of the farm, and having been let by them to a tenant in 1804, with "liberty of the droven sea-ware, along with the other tenants of the Elie barony, for manuring the farm,"[…]
1896, Charles James Longman,Longman's Magazine, page34:Eachware-strand, or beach where drift-weed comes to land, is set apart for a certain number of tenants on the estate to which it belongs, and each 'brook ofware' as it comes ashore is divided among these tenants, usually in proportion to their rents.
ware (third-person singular simple presentwares,present participlewaring,simple past and past participlewared)
- (nautical)(Can weverify(+) this sense?) Towear, orveer.
FromMiddle Englishware, fromOld Norsevár(“spring”), fromProto-Germanic*wazrą. Cognate withIcelandicvor(“spring”),Swedishvår(“spring”),Danishvår(“spring”),Scotsware,wair(“spring”).
ware (pluralwares)
- (Northern England, Scotland)Spring,springtime.
ware
- Old eye dialect spelling ofwere.
1684,Historical Notices of Scotish Affairs, Selected from the Manuscripts of John Lauder of Fountainhall, Bart., One of the Senators of the College of Justice, volumessecond (1683–1688), Edinburgh, published1848, page533:Againſt this therware many objections made by the creditors, viz., thatquoad the 9000 lƀ. a year contained in his contract of marriage, theyware præferable, being præferable and prior creditors, and ſo he was ſucceſſortitulo lucrativo poſt contractum debitum; and as to the 6000 lƀ. per annum added, 1o. before that letter they had ajus quæſitum by the ſignitor; 2do. They had rights præferable.
- c.1815, Mary Woody,A true account ofNayomy Wise
- A larg concorsware standing round
ware
- (obsolete)simplepast ofwear
1553, John Brende,Historie of Quintus Curcius:Heware upon his head a diademe of purple interpaled with white, like as Darius was accustomed.
c.1570s –1580 (date written), [Philip Sidney], “The First Booke or Acte”, in[T]he Countess of Pembrookes Arcadia [The Old Arcadia],folio 13, recto, lines32–34:Over all this, heeware a certeyne Mantell of like ſtuffe, made in ſuche maner, that coming vnder his righte arme, and covering moſte ꝑte[parte] of that ſyde, yt tuched not the lefte ſyde,[…]- For a transcription, see:Albert Feuillerat, editor (1926), “The First Book”, inThe Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia: Being the Original Version […] (Cambridge English Classics; The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; IV), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire:University Press,→OCLC,pages23–24.
c.1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare],The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold byEdward White &Thomas Millington, […], published1594,→OCLC,[Act I, scene i]:And Countrimen my louing followers, / Plead my ſucceſſiue Title with your ſwords: / I am his firſt borne ſonne, that was the last / Thatware the Imperiall Diademe of Rome, / Then let my Fathers honours liue in me, / Nor wrong mine age with this indignitie,[…]
ware
- imperfectsubjunctive ofwees
ware
- inflection ofwaar:
- masculine/femininesingularattributive
- definiteneutersingularattributive
- pluralattributive
ware
- (dated or formal)singularpastsubjunctive ofzijn
- (dated or formal)singularpresentsubjunctive ofwaren
wārḕ (grade 4)
- to separate things, to set things aside
- tosecede
ware
- Rōmaji transcription ofわれ
ware
- ignorant
ware
- saliva
FromOld Dutch*wara, fromProto-Germanic*warō, probably related to*waraz(“wary, watchful”).
wāre f
- merchandise,product
Weak feminine | singular | plural |
|---|
| nominative | wāre | wāren |
|---|
| accusative | wāre | wāren |
|---|
| genitive | wāren | wāren |
|---|
| dative | wāre,wāren | wāren |
|---|
See the etymology of the correspondinglemma form.
wâre
- first/third-personsingularpastsubjunctive ofwēsen
ware
- Alternative form ofveir
ware
- Alternative form ofwerre(“war”)
ware
- inflection ofwaru:
- nominativeplural
- accusativesingular/plural
- genitive/dativesingular
Pennsylvania German
[edit]FromMiddle High Germanwërden, fromOld High Germanwerdan. CompareGermanwerden.
ware
- tobecome
(Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)
ware (pluralwares)
- spring,springtime
- coldweather in springtime
FromMiddle Englishware, fromOld Englishwār, fromProto-West Germanic*wair, ultimately related toProto-Germanic*wīraz; comparewire.
ware (pluralwares)
- a type ofseaweed
ware
- Alternative form ofwar(“were”)
1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, inSONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page84:Aar gentrizeware bibbern, aamzil cou no stoane.- Their gentrywere quaking, themselves could not stand.
- 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, published1867,page84
