▪ I. ware, n.1 Sc. and dial.
(wɛə(r))
Forms: 1 wár (waar, uaar, uar), 6 wayr, vare, 6–7 wair, 7 war, waar, weir, 8 wear, 8–9 waur(e, 5– ware; see also Eng. Dial. Dict. and ore5.
[OE. wár, corresp. to NFris. wier neut. sea-weed, pond-weed, whence prob. Du. wier neut. (first found in Kilian, referred to the ‘Holland’ dialect), repr. OTeut. *wairo-m, f. *wai-: wī- to bind: see wire n.]
Seaweed; esp. large drift seaweed used as manure. In Scots Law, the right of gathering seaweed on the shore. Also seaware.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. A 434 Alga, waar. 1491 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 429 Insulam et rupem de Inchgarde..cum mettagiis, ancoragiis, le wrak et ware. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. x. 104 Skelleis and fomy cragis thai assay, Routand and rarand, and may nocht empayr, Bot geif thai shed fra his sydis the wayr. 1528 in Trans. Roy. Hist. Soc. VI. 374 With fre ingress and regress to the wayr and fra the wayr. 1544 in Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 1545, 727/1 Cum privilegio lucrandi lie wair marium pro terris stercorandis. 1574 R. Scot Hop Garden (1578) 2 If you shall feel a Clod (being dissolued with water) to be very clammy or cleauing like Ware to your fyngers in kneading it, the same to be profitable lande. 1643 Orkney Trial in Dalyell Darker Superst. Scotl. (1834) 492–3 Ye sall..be fain to eat grass vnder the stanes and wair vnder the bankis. 1659 Somner Dict., Waar, Alga marina,..called..of the Thanet-men Wore or woore. 1721 in W. Macfarlane Geogr. Collect. (S.H.S.) I. 45 The sea being tossed with an East and North Wind, yeelds a great quantity of salt water weeds, which the Countrey [sic] call Ware, it fattens the ground and makes it yeild plentifully. 1727 E. Laurence Duty of Steward 206 Wear, a Sea-weed growing chiefly on such Rocks as are cover'd only at High-water, is good to be laid on Tillage for one Crop, the drying and burning of which makes Kilp, used in making Glass. 1812 Sir J. Sinclair Husb. Scot. i. 187 The ware, however, in that part of the frith, is of a weaker sort. |
b. attrib. and Comb., as ware-barley, ware-bear (bear n.2), ware-goose, ware-hack, ware-strand.
| 1806 Forsyth Beauties Scot. IV. 522 Distillers prefer the *ware-barley..on account of its fairer colour and thinner husk. |
| 1793 Stat. Acc. Scot. VI. 17 note, When bear or big is manured with sea ware, the crop is very abundant, but the grain is very small, and is known by the name of *Ware-bear. |
| 1852 Macgillivray Brit. Birds IV. 629 Bernicla Brenta. The Black-faced Bernicle-goose... *Ware Goose. |
| 1585–6 Durham Wills (Surtees) II. 131, iiij pycke forkes,..iij *ware hackes. |
| 1909 J. Gunn Orkney Bk. 230 Each *ware⁓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. |
▪ II. † ware, n.2 Obs.
[OE. waru fem. = OFris. ware, OS., OHG. wara (MHG. ware, war):—OTeut. *warō, f. *war- to guard, watch:—pre-Teut. *wor-; cf. Gr. ϝορ- in θυρωρός (*θυρᾱ-ϝορός) doorkeeper.]
Watchful care, heed; safe-keeping, defence, protection. Phr. on ware, on one's guard, cautious.
| c 893 ælfred Oros. v. iv. (1883) 224 For þon Antiochus ᵹiemde hwæt he hæfde monna ᵹerimes, & ne nom nane ware hulice hie wæron. a 1000 Guthlac 718 Stod se grena wong in godes wære. 1297 R. Glouc. 2483 Vor wanne ich am dukes sone, it become to me Vor to abbe some gret cite oþer castel me to ware. c 1300 in Wright Lyric P. 46 Ah feyre levedis be on-war, To late cometh the ȝeyn char, when love ou hath y-bounde. c 1400 Destr. Troy 7380 Honerable Ector, þat eger was ay, Euer waker and vnwar [= on ware], wightist in armys. |
▪ III. ware, n.3
(wɛə(r))
Forms: 1 waru, 4–6 war, (4 quare, whare), 5–6 warre, 6 waar; 5–6 Sc. and north. wayr(e, 6 wayere, 6–7 wair(e; 2– ware.
[OE. waru fem. = OFris. were, MLG., MDu. ware (Du. waar), ON. vara (Sw. vara, Da. vare). MHG. ware, war, G. ware (earlier waare) are from MLG. or MDu.
Prob. the same word as ware n.2 used in the concrete sense ‘object of care’.]
1. A collective term for: Articles of merchandise or manufacture; the things which a merchant, tradesman, or pedlar, has to sell; goods, commodities. a. collect. sing.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 246 Hi ða wurpon heora waru oforbord. a 1100 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 311/35 Merx, waru. c 1205 Lay. 11356 Chæpmen bunden heore ware. a 1300 Cursor M. 4180 Wit camels þat gret birþin bar, O spice and of oþer ware. c 1386 Chaucer Wife's Prol. 522 Greet prees at market maketh deere ware. 1484 Caxton Fables of Alfonce i, The merchaunt of Baldak came in to egypte for to chepe & bye somme ware or marchaundyse. 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 10 §2 Putting the same naughtie ware to sale secretly. 1614 Overbury Wife etc. (1638) 126 Its now like Ware miss-laid in a Pedlers pack; a ha 's it but knowes not where it is. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 61 The windowes of painted glasse (no common ware). 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. iv. 47 No Keel shall cut the Waves for foreign Ware. 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. viii, He certainly intended to make free with the pedlar's ware. c 1820 [see pieman]. 1822 Scott Peveril xlii, I am always provided with ware which a gentleman may risk his life on. 1844 Kinglake Eothen xviii, The owners raised various objections to the display of their ware [sc. white slave-girls]. |
b. pl.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 120 Ða ᵹelamp hit æt sumum sæle..þæt Englisce cypmenn brohton heora ware to Romana-byriᵹ... Þaᵹeseah he betwux ðam warum cype-cnihtas ᵹesette. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1581 There were stallis by þe strete stondyng for peopull, Werkmen into won, and þaire wares shewe. 1487 Cely Papers (Camden) 165 He avysyth yow to bestowe yowre mony in grosse warys now betymys. 1567 Harman Caveat 62 Consideringe wyth hym selfe that wares woulde bee welcome where money wanted. 1622 Bacon Hen. VII, 188 With whom ventured also three small Shippes of London-Merchants, fraught with some grosse and sleight Wares, fit for Commerce with barbarous people. a 1625 Fletcher Woman's Prize v. i, Give 'em as little light As Drapers doe their wares. 1698 Acts Massachusetts (1724) 117 Leather..wrought into Shoes, Boots, or other Wares. 1776 Adam Smith W.N. iv. ii. II. 52 A capricious man of fashion might sometimes prefer foreign wares, merely because they were foreign, to cheaper and better goods of the same kind that were made at home. 1834 James J. Marston Hall I. xii. 159, I perceived..a man in the dress of a pedlar, with his box of wares laid down by his side. 1913 G. Edmundson Ch. Rome 1st C. v. 123 A fire broke out..amidst shops containing inflammable wares. |
c. An article of merchandise, a saleable commodity. rare.
| 1881 Contemp. Rev. Oct. 600 They treated him [i.e. the labourer] as a ware, buying him in the cheapest market. 1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad iv, Breath's a ware that will not keep. |
2. With defining word, as dye-ware, dyeing-ware, † fell-ware, grocery-ware, † haberdash(er-ware, mercery-ware, peltry-ware: see quots. and s.v. the first element. Also hard-ware, hollow-ware, ironware, † lentrinware, small-wares, tableware, and others mentioned in 3.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvi. xlv. (Tollemache MS.), It is þe maner to tempre yren ware [L. ferramenta] with oyle, leste þey be to muche hardened by coldenesse of water. 1408 Little Red Bk. Bristol (1900) 105 La dusseyn de souliers appelez Courseware..vij d. 1515–18 Early Chanc. Proc. 379/29 (List p. 5) Pannys named haberdasher ware. 1585 Higins Junius' Nomencl. 490/2 An habbardasher, or seller of smal wares. 1612 Sc. Bk. Rates in Halyburton's Ledger (1867) 309 Glasses called looking glasses, halfpenny wair the groce,..xls., penny wair the groce, iiii li. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 80 Nurnberg wares (so they call small wares). 1683 Brit. Spec. 46 In exchange for Tynne and Lead..they received Earthen Vessels, Salt and Brazen Ware of the Phænicians. 1838 Murray's Handbk. N. Germ. 167 Spa is famous for a peculiar manufactory of wooden toys, somewhat like the Tunbridge ware. 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 607/1 Tunbridge ware..includes work tables, boxes, toys, &c., made of hard woods..and inlaid with mosaic. |
3. In spec. uses. a. Vessels, etc., made of baked clay. Chiefly with defining word, as brown, china- (china1 3 a), Delf-, glass-, Japan, porcelain, pottery, Queen's, Staffordshire, Wedgewood ware: see these words, and earthenware, stoneware.
| 1741 W. Stephens Jrnl. 23 July in Colonial Rec. Georgia (1908) IV. Suppl. 199 He had lately drawn his Kiln of Ware, which was baking a second Time. 1761 Brit. Mag. II. 101 Constant at ev'ry sale, the curious fair, Who longs for Dresden, and old China ware. 1827 Faraday Chem. Manip. v. (1842) 149 If [the pestle is] in two pieces,..the handle being of wood and the bottom only of ware, the cement by which they are fastened occasionally falls out. 1882 ‘Ouida’ In Maremma I. 127 Vases and jars in black ware. 1911 G. Macdonald Roman Wall in Scot. xi. 370 Both classes of vessel are of the same coarse ware. |
† b. Textile fabrics. Hence codware2, a pillow-case, for which also ware simply is found.
| 1442 Rolls of Parlt. V. 60/2 Persones that maken untrewe ware of all maner Worstedes. 1551–2 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. X. 49 Item, for tway coddis..Item, four elnis bartane claith to be waris to the samyn. 1557 North Gueuara's Diall Pr. Prol. (1568) *ij, For euen as by the yard the marchante measureth al his ware: so by the life of the Prince is measured the whole common weale. 1661 Sc. Acts Chas. II (1814) VII. 61/1 Item, eightein cods with their wairs worth three merk the peice. 1713 Addison Ct. Tariff ¶2 Euerything he wore was substantial honest, home-spun ware. 1748 Millinery ware [see millinery 3]. |
c. Field-produce, crops, vegetables. Now dial. and Trade (= large potatoes intended for sale). Also in attrib. phr. ware potato.
| 1398, 1669 [see codware1 1]. 1562, 1750 field-ware [see field n. 21]. a 1661 Fuller Worthies, Gen. (1662) 57 Intimating that she had mingled Ware, Corn, and Tares in those who were descended from her. Ibid., Somerset 17 No Shire can shew finer ware,..being generally fruitful. 1693 Evelyn De La Quint. Compl. Gard. I. 32 Their Ware is much finer than that of others who water less. 1707 Garden-ware [see garden n. 6]. 1894 Blackmore Perlycross viii. 57 He had two large butts to receive the filled sacks—assorted into ware and chats. 1920 Discovery Nov. 348/2 (Potatoes.) In the North and in Scotland another riddle is used between the ware and the chats, and by this means ‘seed’ is obtained. 1961 Ann. Reg. 1960 509 Heavy imports of new potatoes early in the year depressed the market for old ware potatoes. 1963 Times 10 June 7/1 The trade for old ware potatoes in England and Wales is now largely confined to caterers. |
† d. Live-stock (cattle, sheep, poultry). Obs.
| 1422 Coventry Leet Bk. 43 Þer schall noo beestys be pynnyd at the comen pynfold by the comien seriante, but chapmannys warre. 1465 Plough-ware [see plough n.1 8]. 1531–2 Poultry-ware [see poultry 4]. 1523–34 Fitzherb. Husb. §118 If a horse wante wartes behynde, benethe the spauen⁓place,..then he is noo chapmannes ware, if he be wylde. 1535 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 133 The bochers..shall voyd and kyll noe moe ware. 1538 Bale God's Promises iv. (facs.) C ij b, By a Soden plage, all their firstgotten ware, Thu slewest in one nyght. c 1550 Cheke Matt. xxii. 4 Mi beves and mi fed waar be killed. 1561 J. Daus tr. Bullinger on Apoc. (1573) 264 b, And first an allusion is made of such as sley wares and prepare a feast. 1609 Bible (Douay) Ezek. xxxix. 18 Of buck-goates, and bulles, and of fed wares [Vulg. altilium]. 1655 Moufet & Bennet Health's Improv. (1746) 143 The like may be also in all gelded Ware, (and consequently in Muttons). a 1732 Gay Fables (1738) II. 6 Dame Dobbins with her poultry-ware. |
e. The spat of oysters in its third year.
| 1877 Q. Rev. CXLIV. 487 A bushel-measure of brood or ware, that is, oysters of the size of a threepenny-piece. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 154/1 Spat in the second year is denominated ‘brood’... In the following year ‘brood’ becomes ‘ware’. |
4. transf. and fig.
Formerly often in distinction from money, like ‘goods’. Sometimes with depreciatory implication, like ‘stuff’.
| c 1200 Moral Ode 68 in Trin. Coll. Hom. 222 Þis is þet wunderlukeste ware þat ani man funde. a 1300 Cursor M. 16476 Here i yeld yow yur mone, ges me a-gain mi war. c 1450 Cov. Myst., Christ Disputing (Shaks. Soc.) 197 Wete ȝe not wele that I muste bene Amonge hem that is my faderes ware, His gostly catel for to ovyrsen? 1549 Coverdale, etc. Erasm. Par. Jas. i. 22–7 Ceremonies..are pernicious ware, yf a man thinke that he is made religious by meane of them. 1600 1st Pt. Sir J. Oldcastle iii. iv. 53 If you haue no mony, you shal haue ware: as many sound drie blows as your skin can carrie. 1642 D. Rogers Naaman 547 The obedience of hypocrites is dead ware. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. iii. §222 They resolved to shew all their ware and to produce the whole evidence. a 1661 Fuller Worthies, Westmerld. (1662) 135 This County..is fruitful by some few exceptions, having some pleasant vales, though such ware be too fine, to have much measure thereof. 1793 Mrs. Piozzi 7 Feb. in Intim. Lett. (1913) 80 A mythological play of the dark days, Theseus and Ariadne, and that old ware. 1865 J. G. Holland Plain Talk ix. 314 There is nothing immodest or otherwise improper in the advertisment of a man's literary wares. 1918 Oxford Mag. 21 June 343/1 None of them [sc. the essayists] cries his own wares to the exclusion of those of others. |
b. Applied jocularly to women. (Cf. ‘piece of goods’.)
Sometimes with explicit ref. to sense 3 a; cf. also 3 d.
| 1558 W. Forrest Grysilde Seconde (Roxb.) 55 Hee had in hym a lyttle sensuall luste Whiche withe younge ware hee neadys accomplische muste. 1624 Davenport City Nightcap iv. (1661) 37, I keep no common company [of women] I warrant ye; we vent no breath'd ware here. 1687 J. Phillips Quix. i. i. i. 5 A young fresh-colour'd smerking Country Wench that went for a Maid, but in truth, was a crackt piece of Ware. 1826 Scott Woodst. x, I may get a peep of fair Rosamond, and see whether she was that choice and incomparable piece of ware which the world has been told of. |
† c. The privy parts of either sex. Also lady ware. Obs.
| 1561 B. Googe tr. Palingenius' Zodiac v. M j b, So hurtes the Bees their honye sweete, so makes the Beuer yell His hoysting ware. 1579 G. Gilpin tr. Marnix van Sant Aldegonde's Beehive Rom. Ch. (1580) 299 For the auoiding of such a chaunce, the holy Romishe Churche did ordaine twoo chaires too bee heawen of Porphyr stone, where they vsed to feele from vnder, whether the newe chosen Pope was furnished of all his ware. 1592 Soliman & Pers. iv. ii. 49 The Ladies of Rhodes, hearing that you haue lost a capitoll part of your Lady ware. 1608 [Tofte] Ariosto's Sat. iv. (1611) 61 The slie Venetian lockt his Ladies ware, Yet through her wit Acteons badge he bare. 1615–16 Bk. Depositions 1612–16 Archdeaconry of Colchester (MS.) lf. 72 The said William Land once so druncke at Sturbridge fayer that he did shewe his ware openly in the fayer. 1656 Mennis & J. Smith Mus. Delic. (ed. 2) 73 Your Breasts all open bare, So farre, that a man may almost see Unto your Lady-ware. 1693 Dryden Juvenal vi. 491 Seen from afar, and famous for his Ware, He struts into the Bath, among the Fair. 1721 E. Ward Merry Trav. i. (1729) 29 Here [at the Lock⁓hospital] all are welcome to repair Their aching Limbs or damag'd Ware. |
† d. wormes ware, food for worms. Obs.
| c 1400 Pety Job 7 in 26 Pol. Poems 121 Yet shall my fayrenesse fade and fle, And I shalbe wormes ware. c 1450 Songs & Carols (Warton Club) 20 Ȝyt am I but wermys ware. |
e. the hale ware (Sc.), also anglicized the whole ware: the whole number, quantity, or amount; the sum-total.
| 1563 Winȝet Wks. (S.T.S.) II. 73 Nocht that the canoun allane may nocht be sufficient to the hail wair. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 154 Sa the haill wair, being comptit, was threttie thowsand pund sterling. 1591 R. Bruce Serm. v. L 6, He saith in the wholware of these things. The life of my soule standeth. a 1689 W. Cleland Poems (1697) 18 (Jam.) Then this will follow, I suppose, She drags the whole-ware by the nose. 1742 R. Forbes Ajax (1755) 11 He..gar'd the hale-ware o' us trow That he was gane clean wod. 1824 Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. 307 The haleware o't seemed to be gran plowable lan. 1894 Crockett Raiders x, The verra last shot that was fired..carried awa' the halewar (whole) o' their steerin' gear. |
† f. In periphrastic use (cf. e). Obs. rare.
| a 1300 E.E. Psalter xvii. 11 He flegh ouer fetheres of windes ware [Vulg. super pennas ventorum]. Ibid. 16 And schewed welles of watres ware [Vulg. et apparuerunt fontes aquarum]. Ibid. lxxii. 13 And betwix vnderand ware [Vulg. inter innocentes] Mine handes wesche i þare. |
5. attrib. and Comb., as wair almery (Sc.), ware-barge, ware chamber, ware-room, ware trash; (sense 3 a) ware-basin; (sense 3 b) ware-man; also † ware-cloth [? cf. ON. vǫruklǽði common cloth] (sense uncertain).
| 1489 Acta Dom. Conc. (1839) 131/1 A met almery,.. a *wayr almery. |
| 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 26 These Boats are as large as one of our *Ware-Barges,..and carry a great Burthen with little trouble. |
| 1849 D. Campbell Inorg. Chem. 92 In not very nice experiments, instead of a platinum crucible a small *ware basin may be used. |
| 1533 Linc. Diocese Docum. (1914) 163, I bequeyth to herry my sone all the ware in my *ware chamber. |
| 1499 Will of John Buysshope in Somerset Medieval Wills (1901) 379 Item, I bequeith unto John Busshop of Lyme 2 peaces of *ware⁓clothes. |
| 1659 W. Sheppard Corporations 16 The Wardens..and Fellowship of Drapers, Taylors, Mercers, and *Ware-Men, and Coopers in D. |
| 1811 Pinkerton Petral. II. 96 The first quantity that was exposed in Edinburgh, was in the year 1790, in a *ware-room on the south bridge. 1841 Lytton Night & Morn. i. viii, Mr. Roger Morton and his family sat in that snug and comfortable retreat which generally backs the ware-rooms of an English tradesman. |
| 1655 Fuller Hist. Cambr. v. 71 Provision may be made, that a sufficiency of such *Ware-trash may still be preserved. |
Add: [2.] b. transf. in Computing, originally in software n. (after hardware n. 1 c), used in words describing components of a computer system or software of a specified type, as *courseware n., liveware n., shareware n. s.v. *share v.2 8, etc.
▪ IV. † ware, n.4 Obs. rare.
[Seems to represent OE. wǽr pledge; the form may have been assimilated to warant warrant n.]
In the phrase to ware (tr. L. ad warantiam, ad warantizandum); as a surety.
| c 1460 Oseney Reg. 166 Anoþer tyme þabbot i-callid þere-of to ware Richard of lyonns And Emme his wife, Raph the Soone of Ranulph of Astrop and William his wife [etc.], the which nowe come by summornenyng and axe to be schewed to þem by what thyng þey bee holde to ware [warantizare]. Ibid., Þe which..Byndeth hym-selfe and his heyres to ware, to þe same Nycoll and to his heyres and to his assynes, þ⊇ foresaide tenementes. |
▪ V. ware, n.5 Sc. and north. dial.
(wɛə(r))
Forms: 5 waire, wayr(e, 8 wair, 9 waur, 3– ware. See also voar.
[a. ON. vár (Icel. vor, Sw. vår, Norw., Da. vaar).
By some regarded as cogn. w. L. vēr, Gr. ἔαρ (:—*wesr), but the phonology has not been satisfactorily explained.]
The season of spring.
| a 1300 E.E. Psalter lxxiii. 18 Somer and ware, þou schope þa. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxvii. (Machor) 983 It hapnyt a tym in-to ware. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. iv. xv. 1484 Wythtin the fyrst moneth off wayre. 1483 Cath. Angl. 408/2 Wayr, quoddam tempus, ver. 1684–92 A. Symson in W. Macfarlane Geogr. Collect. (S.H.S.) II. 120 Hence their common proverb, speaking of the stormes in February; Winter never comes till Ware comes. 1814 W. Nicholson Tales in Verse 70 Ere the winds o' ware were blawn. 1898 J. Macmanus Bend of Road iii. 40 He'll go to him the throngest day of Ware, an' the warmest day in Harwust, an' work the skin off his bones. |
b. attrib., as ware day, ware evening, ware-time; ware-corn, corn sown in spring; spec. barley and oats as distinguished from wheat and rye (so Da. vaarsæd).
| 1426 Inv. Jarrow & Monk-Wearm. (Surtees) 196 In frumento et *ware corn emptis. 1593 Durham Wills (Surtees) II. 235 All the arrable landes,..as well harde corne lande, as ware corne lande. 1810 J. Bailey Agric. Durham 411 Ware-corn, barley or oats. |
| 1861 Quinn Heather Lintie (1863) 232 In winter, anent her, The birds resume their *ware day sang. |
| 1721 J. Kelly Scot. Prov. 334 The *Ware Evening is long and tough, the Harvest Evening runs soon o'er the Heugh. |
| 1820 Hogg Bridal of Polmood vii. Tales & Sk. 1837 II. 35, I..fleechyt Eleesabett noore [= never] to let us torfell in the *waretyme of owir raik. 1824 Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. 37 Perhaps till the next waurtime. |
▪ VI. † ware, n.6 Obs.
Forms: 3 war, 4–5 ware, 5 wore.
[a. ON. *var (cf. vare serum) = MSw., Norw. var, OHG. warah:—OTeut. *warχo-z in the same sense. Cf. waribreed.]
Pus, matter.
| c 1200 Ormin 4782, I war & wirrsenn toc anan Ut off hiss lic to flowenn. a 1300 Cursor M. 11835 Ouer-al wrang vte worsum and ware. 13.. Metr. Hom. (Vernon MS.) in Archiv. Stud. neu. Spr. LVII. 298 Fel aunter þat his fot was sare And wox full of fulþe and ware. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales 390 His feet wan rotyn vnderneth hym & ware come out of þaim. a 1450 North. Passion (MS. D) 1479 Þei [his hands] were waxen ful of wore Þat were not be forn sore [other texts rhyme sare: mare]. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 3494 Ware oute ran, nede to be heeled. |
▪ VII. ware, a.
(wɛə(r))
Forms: 1–2 wær (inflected wære, ware), 2–7 war, 2–3 warr, 3 wear, 3–5 wer, 4 were, (5 werre), (4 whar, quar, waare), 4–5 compar. warr(e, 5 waar, 5–6 warr(e, compar. warrer, -are, 4–6 Sc. var, 4– ware.
[OE. wær = OS. war, ON. var-r (Da., Sw. var), Goth. war-s (in warai sijaima νηϕῶµεν 1 Thess. v. 6):—OTeut. *waro-, f. *war- to observe, take care; see ware n.2 Cf. aware a. (OE. ᵹewær:—OTeut. *ᵹiwaro-).]
I. In predicative use.
1. Cognizant, informed, conscious; chiefly with of, how, that, etc. = aware 2. † be (well) ware: take note, ‘nota bene’. Obs. exc. arch.
| O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 917, & þa wurdon þa landleode his ware, & him wiþ ᵹefuhton. c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives xxii. 230 He eode ða nihtes þæt he his life ᵹeburᵹe ac ða hæðenan wurdon wære his fare. 1154 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1140, & hi wurthen war wid uten & folecheden heom. c 1200 Ormin 5210 & Helyseow hiss mann wass warr Þatt teȝȝ þa sholldenn shædenn. Ibid. 7286 Þatt hæþenn follc, Kalldisskenn follc, Wass war off Cristess come. a 1225 St. Marher. 16 Ant ichulle makien þe war of alle mine wiheles. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1308 Ðo wurð ðe child [Isaac] witter and war ðat ðor sal offrende ben don. a 1300 Cursor M. 6549 Quen þai war war o moyses þai fled a-way, als in a res. c 1325 Spec. Gy Warw. 45 A god man þer was..Alquin was his rihte name, Off him þe eorl was wel war. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 11498 Oure auncestre Iulius Sesar Wan Bretayne (art þou nought war?). c 1350 Will. Palerne 3382 William was wiȝtly whar of his come. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 421 Þise ben þe braunches, beþ war, þat bryngeth a man to wanhope. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 38 He was war, as he caste his eye aside, Where that ther kneled in the hye weye A compaignye of ladyes. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ii. xvi. 94 And at the last he came in to a fayr forest in a valey and was ware of a Toure. Ibid. iv. xvi. 140 And thenne was syr Gawayne ware how ther henge a whyte shelde on that tree. 1530 Tindale Lev. v. 2 Ether when a man toucheth any vnclene thinge..and is not warre of it, he is also vnclene and hath offended. Ibid. 18 And the preast shall make an attonement for him for the ignoraunce which he dyd and was not ware. 1556 Olde Antichrist 16 b, Our most cruel blood thirstye enemies are not ware of this glory of our persecution. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. i. i. 131 Towards him I made, but he was ware of me, And stole into the couert of the wood. 1600 ― A.Y.L. ii. iv. 58 Thou speak'st wiser then thou art ware of. 1612 R. Fenton Usury 7 Wee shall finde much more in it, then they that make the lightest account of it, are ware of. 1812 Cary Dante, Parad. viii. 15, I was not ware that I was wafted up. 1847 Emerson Poems, Saadi 34 Be thou ware where Saadi dwells. 1886 Burton Arab. Nts. (abr. ed.) I. 111, I was ware of a ship in the offing. |
2. Prepared, on one's guard, watchful, vigilant, cautious, alert. Cf. aware 1. Now arch.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xii. 40 And be ᵹe wære forþam þe mannes sunu cymð þære tide þe ᵹe ne wenað. a 1023 Wulfstan Hom. xlii. (1883) 191 Us is micel þearf, þæt we wære beon þæs eᵹeslican timan, þe nu towærd is. a 1225 Juliana 35 Make me war & wite me wið his crefti crokes þat ha me ne crechen. a 1250 Owl & Night. 170 Ne spedestu nouht mid þin vnwrenche For ich am war and can blenche. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 8084 Yn a prouerbe, telle men þys ‘He wyys ys, þat ware ys’. c 1325 Evil Times Edw. II 343 in Pol. Songs (Camden) 339 Theih wolen bigile the in thin hond, but if thu be the warre. 1375 Barbour Bruce v. 546 Bot how that euir it fell, perde, I trow he sall the varrar be. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 20 And þerfore comaundiþ crist þat we be war and flee fro þe ypocrisie of pharisees. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 516 War, or a-war (v.r. aware), cautus, Cath. precavens. c 1450 Merlin i. 5 Than this holy man counselled hem to be wele ware, and kepe hem fro euell dedes. c 1480 Henryson Swallow & other Birds 193 His pray full sendill tymis will he mis, Bot gif we birdis all the warrer be. 1561 T. Norton Calvin's Inst. iv. 54 But when he warneth vs of the daunger, he doeth it to this entente to make vs the warer. a 1584 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 687, I wischt them to be war, And rashlie not to ryn ouir far, Without sik gydis as ȝe. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles v. xv, But evil news the letters bare,—The Clifford's force was strong and ware. 1860 Trench Serm. Westm. Abbey xxxi. 353 When the world speaks thee fair, and thy very enemies are at peace with thee,—then be thou ware. a 1897 H. Newbolt Drake's Drum 24 They shall find him ware an' wakin,' as they found him long ago! |
† 3. Careful or guarded in action. Const. of, in, with and inf. Obs.
| a 1240 Sawles Warde in O.E. Hom. I. 253 Reade hwet us beo to donne at we beon þe warre ant wakere to witen us on euch half under godes wengen. a 1340 Hampole Ps. xvi. 9 Kepe me as þe appel of þe eghe: þat is, perfitly and tendirly, for a man has no lym þat he is warere with, þan wiþ his eghe. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iii. xi. (1495) 55 By the vertue estimatiue we ben waar to voyde euyll and folowe that is good. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye i. xviii. 48 The goodman droue sleape from hym, and was more ware to kepe hymselfe waker in goddes seruyce alway after. 1538 Starkey England ii. i. 170 Thys..schold make the vnder offycerys to be ware and dylygent to dow theyr duty. 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. xxxiii. 195 Neuertheless he warneth us therewithal to bee more ware in abstayning from all wicked othes. |
4. Careful or cautious in avoiding. † a. Const. with. Obs.
| c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives xiii. 150 And ða woruld-menn wæron wære wið heora fynd. c 1200 Vices & Virtues 71 Ðat tu..lierne fastliche ða ȝekyndes of sennes, hwannen and hwanne hie cumen, þat ðu muȝe bien war wið hem. a 1300 Cursor M. 23827 Þe soth þai spar us noght to tell, for to do us be war wit hell. 1357 Lay Folks' Catech. T. 425 Prudencia—That wisses us to be war with wathes of the world. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 19 Þis gospel biddiþ men to be ware wiþ false prophetis þat comen in cloþing of sheep. |
† b. with inf. Cf. beware v. 1 c. Obs.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxx. (Theodera) 27 Ȝet suld gud wemen ware be to rowne with þaim in priuete. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 184 And þerfore men schulden be war to take of þes foure statis. 1475 Bk. Noblesse (Roxb.) 81 The ennemies of youre roiaume..wol doubt and be ware to take any entreprise ayenst your noble mageste. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 20 But he marueleth at their rashenes that they can not be ware by so many examples to blemishe them selues, and other Universities for euer. |
c. with of. Cf. beware v. 1 b. Obs. exc. arch.
| 1382 Wyclif Matt. xvi. 6 Beth war of the sourdowȝ of Pharisees and Saducees. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 231 For who these olde bokes rede Of suche ensamples as were ar, Him oghte be the more war Of alle tho that feigne chiere. a 1400 Hymns Virg. etc. (1867) 65 Quod Besinesse, ‘man! of Slouthe be waare’. 1477 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 193/1 In exemple to others to have been ware of suche attempting here⁓after. 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 211 For suche thynges as wee se before our iyes, we bee well ware of. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 101 margin, They ar war of bludscheding. 1865 Swinburne Chastelard iii. i. 98 You would swear now you have used me faithfully; Shall I not make you swear? I am ware of you. 1868 G. Macdonald R. Falconer I. xii. 164 ‘Laddie,’ she said, ‘be ye waure o' judgin' the Almichty.’ 1885–94 Bridges Eros & Psyche June x, But Psyche when that wistful speech she heard Was ware of all her spouse had warn'd her of. |
† d. with negative or interrogative clause. Cf. beware v. 1 d. Obs.
| a 1000 ælfric Gen. xxiv. 6 Beo wær æt þam, þæt þu næfre minne sunu þyder ne læde. a 1100 in Napier Contrib. O.E. Lexicogr. 58 Preostas synt to myngienne {thbar} hi beon ware {thbar} hi ne wurðon beswicene fram deoflum þurh ᵹeþanca smealic⁓nysse. c 1325 Spec. Gy Warw. 645 Nowe be þou were, þou proude gome, Þat þou ne be in pryde enome. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1397 By þis way byhoves us al gang, Bot be we war we ga noght wrang. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xviii. 39 ‘A! wyf! be war,’ quaþ he [Tobit] ‘what ȝe haue here⁓ynne; Lord leyue,’ quaþ þe lede ‘no stole þyng be here!’ c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xvi. 74 It es gude to him þat schall wake þis hawke þat he be wele warre þat he slepe noȝt. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. i. 38 Be wyl war þat þey ben nowt Browne. 1475 Marg. Paston in P. Lett. III. 135 Never the less I shall be the warer how I shall dele here aftyr. 1531 tr. St. German's Doctor & Stud. ii. viii. (1638) 74, I would advise every man to be well ware how hee distraineth in such cases. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. 143 Others vse the roote of Mandracke, being wel ware that they suffer them not to tast it. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 100 Thay ar war with al possible diligens that thay sched nocht thair blude. |
5. Prudent, sagacious, cunning, skilled; ? also, rarely, staid. Frequently coupled with wise. Obs. exc. arch.
| c 888 ælfred Boeth. xxvii. §2 Wisdom ᵹedeð his lufiendas wise & weorðe [MS. Junius wære] & ᵹemetfæste & ᵹeþyldiᵹe & rihtwise. c 897 ― Gregory's Past. C. xxxv. 236 Bio ᵹe swæ ware swæ nædran, & swæ bilwite swæ culfran. c 1200 Ormin 18313 Ȝe wenenn wrang Off me; beþ warre & wise, Namm I nohht Godd, acc icc amm mann. c 1205 Lay. 2108 Þe wes þe wiseste þe wes þe warreste [c 1275 he was wis and war]. Ibid. 2967 Gornoille was swiðe wær [c 1275 war] swa beoð wifmen wel ihwær & seide ane lesinge. a 1300 Cursor M. 8696 Þe king, þat was sa sli a clerc, Bath warr and wis in all his werc. ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 1258 She was not nyce, ne outrageous, But wys and war, and vertuous. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 12 Of al knightes he bare the pryse, In werld was non so war ne wise. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. clxiv, And they were ware that longe sat In place, So tolter quhilum did sche It to-wrye. c 1440 York Myst. xxxiii. 137 [Pilate to Caiaphas] Ȝa, butt be wise, witty, and warre. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 131 We sholde also be wele ware or wyse, as is y⊇ serpent. 1549 Latimer 3rd Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 76 Sathan..is ware inough, he is wily, and circumspect for stiryng vp any sedicion. 1563 Mirr. Mag. ii. Collingbourne xxi, A poet must be..No flatterer, no bolsterer of vyce, But sound and swete, in all thinges ware and wyse. 1915 R. Brooke 1914 & other Poems 29 And, sits there nothing ware and wise Behind the curtains of her eyes. |
† b. with in, of (something specified), to (do something). Obs.
| 1307 Elegy Death Edw. I, ii, Trewest mon of alle thinge, Ant in werre war ant wys. 13.. Seuyn Sag. 410 He..thought al night,..Hou that he might be wis and wer To overcome the emperice. 1382 Wyclif Dan. i. 4 [Men] lernd in al wisdam, war in science [Vulg. cautos scientia], and tauȝt in disciplyne. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1973 Bot owre wyese kyng es warre to wayttene his renkes, And wyesly by the woddez voydez his oste. c 1425 MS. Digby 233 lf. 225 b/2 He þat is a werrur on þe see he mot of ebbynge & of flowyng tyme be boþe wise and waar. |
† II. 6. Used attributively. Prudent, cautious, cunning. Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 309 A Sergeant of the Lawe war and wys..Ther was also. a 1400–50 War Alex. 202 Þare gan þai graithly þam graue in golden lettirs, All þe wordis at he þaim werpid of þaire ware kynge. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye 114 Ye saye that she ys prudente and a ware spender and dysposer of goodes. Ibid. ii. 124 When crysten people a woke in busy prayer and in ware kepynge of themselfe that they myghte be redy to suffer martyrdom. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 386 They are very ware people in theyr bargenynge, and wyl not lose one sparke of golde of any value. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. ii. (Arb.) 142 And as for Plautus, except the scholemaster be able to make wise and ware choice..your scholer were better to play. a 1614 J. Melvill Autob. & Diary (Wodrow Soc.) 165 Being a slight and war man, and perceaving the esteat of the Kirk deceying, [etc.]. |
▪ VIII. ware, v.1
(wɛə(r))
Forms: 1 warian, 3 ware-n, 3–6, 8–9 dial. war, 3–4 warr(e, 5 waar, 7–9 'ware, 4– ware.
[OE. warian = OFris. waria, OS. waron, OHG. be-warôn = beware v. (MHG. waren), ON. vara (Sw. vara, Da. vare):—OTeut. *warōjan, f. *warō ware n.2 In ME. the native word coalesced with ware a. OF. (north-eastern) ware-r (= Central OF., mod.F. garer), of the same meaning, adopted from Teut. The interjectional imperative ware! used in hunting is prob. to be regarded as of Fr. origin.
In OE. the verb had, in addition to the senses illustrated below, certain other meanings (‘to guard, defend; to inhabit’) which did not survive into ME.]
† 1. intr. To give heed, take care, be on one's guard. Const. of, with; to oneself; to and inf. to do to ware: to inform, notify (const. of or clause). Obs.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2154 Ðe vii fulsum ȝeres faren, Iosep cuðe him bi-foren waren. a 1352 Minot Poems ii. 6 War ȝit with þe Skottes for þai er ful of gile. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1592 War now of me, ich þe diffie. 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xiii. 16 War to thee [Vulg. cave tibi], and tac heed bisili to thin heering. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 123 Bot war whan thei togedre duellen. 1415 Hoccleve To Sir J. Oldcastle 88 Waar of the swerd of god for it is keene. 1594 Carew Huarte's Exam. Wits xii. 188 And this wil fall out a plain matter when you are done to ware, that in this region, the sunne yeeldeth a feruent heat. Ibid. xv. 267 Of all these points were the eies and the eares naturally done to ware. 1598 Queen Elizabeth Plutarch ii. 123 That better the [= they] may ware the warnid to correct. |
b. imp., as a warning cry, a call to animals, and in hunting. Obs. (? exc. dial.)
| ? c 1000 Gloss in Germania (1878) XI. 393 Caue wara. ? a 1200 Willelm. Cantuar. Vita S. Thomæ in Mat. Hist. Thos. Becket (Rolls) I. 128 Patria voce exclamavit..Huge de Morevile, ware, ware, ware, Lithulf heth his swerd adrage. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1158 Þe hindez were halden in, with hay & war. c 1400 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxxiv, War, war, ha, ha, war. c 1460 Towneley Myst. ii. 25 Io furth, greyn-horne! and war oute, gryme! Ibid. 29 War! let me se how down will draw. c 1500 Hyckescorner 456 Imagy. Ware make rome he shall haue a strype I trowe. 1513 Douglas æneis vi. Prol. 168 War at Pluto, I sall hym hunt of sty. 1602 Dekker Satirom. B 3, Flash. Ware there, roome for Sir Adam Prickeshaft. 1760 S. Fielding Ophelia xxxiv, Ware, Hector! ware, Juno! 1825 J. Jennings Observ. Dial. W. Eng., War, beware! take care! 1825 Brockett N.C. Words, War, beware. ‘War below.’ |
c. with clause, introduced by that, lest, or a relative. Also without that. Obs. or arch.
| a 1000 Canons of Edgar xxxviii. in Thorpe II. 252 Wariᵹe þæt hit na forealdiᵹe. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vii. xiii. (1495) 232 But ware the pacyent that he put hym not sodenly to grete heete. a 1400–50 Bk. Curtasye 240 in Babees Bk., Þou that stondys so sure on sete, Ware lest þy hede falle to þy fete. a 1460 Play Sacrament 596 Here master master ware how ye tugg. 1530 Palsgr. 701/2 Ware you shede nat your potage upon the table cloth. 1559 Morwyng Evonymus Pref. A ij, This sacred to God Pluto (theues) ware that ye touch not. 1616 B. Jonson Devil an Ass v. v. [v. iii.], Ware what you do, M. Ambler. 1900 G. E. Evans Lion's Whelps i. 8 Let the hunters 'ware who flout him When he calls his whelps about him. |
† 2. refl. To guard oneself, be careful, take care. Const. with clause, fro, from, for (= from), of. Obs.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 236 Forlætað þone ænne beam, wariað inc wið þone wæstm. a 1300 Cursor M. 17210 Warr þe þou namar thrald be. 13.. Guy Warw. 1867 Hennes forward war þe fro me, Þi dedliche fo ichil now be. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 165 Bot war þe wel, if þou wylt, þy wedez ben clene. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 225 War þe for wonhope, þat wol þe bi-traye. 1377 Ibid. B. xviii. 273 Ac war hym of þe periles. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 312 Bot war thee wel that thou ne lieve Al that thou sest tofore thin yhe. c 1400 Cato's Morals 132 in Cursor M. App. iv. 1671 Mare mai þou be agast of anli man vn-wrast, and warre þe for him. |
3. trans. To beware of, guard against; to avoid, shun, keep clear of. Chiefly in imper. = look out for! (cf. b). arch.
| a 900 Kentish Glosses in Wr.-Wülcker 65/40 Cauet [‘qui cauet laqueos’ Prov. xi. 15], warat. 1388 Pol. Poems (Rolls) I. 275 Ware ȝe the prophecye. 1400 in 26 Pol. Poems i. 71 War wordes of dowble entendement. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 213 War arrogaunce in takyng thyng on honde. ? c 1520 Skelton Col. Cloute 341 A man myght saye in mocke Ware the wethercocke Of the steple of Paules. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 43 Ware pensals. How? 1599 Nashe Lenten Stuffe G 2, O, ware a naked man; Cithereaes Nunnes haue no power to resiste him. 1622 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 199 A roguish Boy..threw downe vpon me a great bucket of scalding water; and when hee saw it had fairely lighted vpon me, he leisurely vtters:..Ware water. 1624 Bp. R. Montagu New Gagg To Rdr. 3 My desire is to ware heresie, to quit error. 1792 Holcroft Road to Ruin ii. 28 Harry. When they do I'll horsewhip them myself. Goldfinch. Yourself?—'Ware that! Wrong there! 1833 Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) II. 480 To despise rhetoric, and eschew fine writing;..to ware flippancy and bad jokes. 1839 Mrs. Kirkland New Home xxxvii. 252 My prime and practical favourite among mottoes and maxims, is ‘'ware snakes!’ 1861 Thackeray Round. Papers, On two Round. Papers (1869) 164 We meet each other in public. Ware a fight! 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 44 Must..Every sweet warn ‘'Ware my bitter!’ |
b. In hunting and in cries to animals, as ware hawk (fig.: cf. hawk n.1 3), ware horse, etc. Now chiefly in ware wheat (= don't ride over it), ware holes, ware wire. Sometimes pronounced (wɔː(r)).
Similarly, on the Trent, ware ager, a warning to boats to beware of the tidal wave.
| a 1529 Skelton (title) Ware the Hauke. 1590 Cockaine Treat. Hunting C 4 b, Take him vp in a line, and beating him, say, awe, ware that. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. v. vii. 12 The bull has the game: ware hornes ho? 1626 B. Jonson Staple of N. v. v. [v. ii], See! the whole Couy is scatter'd, 'Ware, 'ware the Hawkes. I loue to see him flye. 1673 S' too him Bayes 31 But now ware hawk! 1677 N. Cox Gentl. Recr. i. (ed. 2) 80 The first Ceremony when the Hunts⁓men come in to the Death of a Deer, is to cry Ware Haunch, that the Hounds may not break into the Deer. 1705 Vanbrugh Confederacy v. i. 62 Mon. Your Goodness, Madam, is ― Flip. [Aside to Moneytrap.] War Horse, No fine Speeches, you'll spoil all. 1793 J. Wolcot (P. Pindar) Pair of Odes to the Pope i. 35 Ware Lark! the Sportsman to his Pointer cries; Designing him for Partridge—nobler Game. 1814 Sporting Mag. XLIV. 193 Ware chase! where such daring unpardonable crime has been committed. 1828 Ibid. N.S. XXI. 187, I never heard an harangue upon ‘ware wheat’ given in a more gentlemanlike way. 1823 Moor Suffolk Words 470 Warr, an abbreviation probably of beware—‘Warr, horse’—a caution to a hound in danger of being trodden on. ‘Warr, sheep’—warns him from agression. 1864 E. Mayhew Illustr. Horse Managem. 527 However, walk down the gangway of the two-year old stalls in any trainer's stable, and ‘'ware horse,’ ‘'ware heels,’ is frequently shouted out. 1908 R. Bagot A. Cuthbert v. 48 We have four or five miles to do yet—and a nice bit of open grass country before us—but 'ware holes! |
† 4. To be apprehensive or careful for. Obs.
| c 1420 Wyntoun Cron. viii. v. 894 Gif þe Broys þe kynge sulde be Off Scotlande, war ȝoure ryalte, Ȝoure marchis, and ȝoure wallit townys. |
† 5. To teach (a person) to beware. Obs.
| 1634 Heywood & Brome Lancash. Witches iv. H 4, Let me be honckt up for a show Ile ware them to mel or ma with a woman that [etc.]. |
▪ IX. ware, v.2 Now Sc. and dial.
(wɛə(r))
Forms: 5 warre, werre (?), Sc. var(e, 5–6 Sc. war, wayr, (6 pa. tense Sc. ward), 8–9 wear, 9 waur, 5– Sc. wair, 4– ware.
[a. ON. verja, pa. tense varðe, pa. pple. varið-r, ‘to invest (money), lay out’, a transferred use of the primary sense ‘to clothe’: cf. the corresponding OE. węrian to clothe, to wear: see wear v.]
trans. To spend, lay out (money, goods). Const. in, on, upon, † of.
| a 1417 York Memo. Bk. (Surtees) I. 222 Ayther of them shall ware xviij d. in fyssh or thay passe the market. c 1440 Bone Flor. 405 Now schall y neuer my golde spare, But faste upon thys warre hyt ware. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxx. 252 Had I bot a penny on the wold I warte [i.e. ware it]. 15.. Cokelbie Sow 75 in Bannatyne MS. (Hunter. Club) 1023 And verrely as I hard Thus the money he ward. 1521 Lincoln Wills (Linc. Rec. Soc. V.) 103 The residew off the money..I will it be wared in the reparacions of a new lofte. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. ii. (Arb.) 122 They shall fynde it bothe lesse charge and more pleasure to ware at any tyme a couple of shyllynges of a new bowe. 1600 Heywood 1st Pt. Edw. IV iii. i, I have wared all my money in cow-hides at Coleshill Market. 1634 Burgh Rec. Stirling (1889) II. 299 Item, wairit on the beiting and mending of the brig and lang calsey, 220 0 0. 1725 Ramsay Gent. Sheph. iv. ii, Ne'er grudge ilk year to ware some stanes of cheese, To gain these silent friends that ever please. 1729 P. Walkden Diary (1866) 57 So I signed a bill to Alice Slater for the {pstlg}3 2s. 6d. I had weared. 1785 Burns Ep. Davie ii, While coofs on countless thousands rant, And ken na how to wair't. 1826 Galt Last of Lairds xxviii. 246 He gaed to Widow M{supc}Plooky's public, and waur'd the sixpence on gills. 1880 Tennyson Northern Cobbler v, I grabb'd the munny she maäde, and I weär'd it o' liquor, I did. 1893 Stevenson Catriona i, I would hae waired my siller better-gates than that. |
b. fig. (e.g. one's time, wit, life, love).
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 402, I schal ware alle my wyt to wynne me þeder. Ibid. 1235, I schal ware my whyle wel, quyl it lastez. c 1480 Henryson Cock & Jewel 153 Weill war that man ouer all vther, that mocht All his lyfe dayis in perfite studie wair To get science. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 205 Ready to wair thair lyffis..in his defence. 1639 Sir A. Johnston (Ld. Wariston) Diary (S.H.S.) I. 342 We wil not so mutch as to waire our thoughts upon it. 1725 Ramsay Gent. Sheph. iv. ii, Since we've little time, To ware 't on words, wad border on a crime. 1794 Burns On Willie Chalmers ii, And faith ye'll no be lost a whit, Tho' waired on Willie Chalmers. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. xxviii, There would be little love wared on the matter. 1826 ― Jrnl. 8 June, The struggle is worth waring a headache upon. 1894 Crockett Raiders xxxiii. 279 A good honest heart..that hasna been weared on ither lasses. |
c. with out. (lit. and fig.)
| 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 39 Thay wauchtit at the wicht wyne, and waris out wourdis. 1774 Petition in A. M{supc}Kay Hist. Kilmarnock 303 To ware out and expend the haill necessary depursements. |
d. Phr. to be well, or ill, wared.
| ? a 1418 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 244 The wages ben ful yvel wared With suiche a capitayn to abide. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales 94 Ane of þaim vpbrayed hym..& said his yong wife was ill warid on hym. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 449 Ȝour riches thus is waistit and euill waird. a 1585 Montgomerie Flyting 265 The cuff is weill waired that twa hame brings. Ibid. 697 Na maruell though ill won ill waired bee. a 1614 J. Melvill Autob. & Diary (Wodrow Soc.) 68, I haiff bein ready to gyff my lyff whar it was nocht halff sa weill wared, at the pleasour of my God. 1686 G. Stuart Joco-ser. Disc. 33 If aw the rest were right repair'd, I trow our Labour were well wair'd. 1807 Tannahill Soldier's Ret. ii. iii, A glass, to croun a wish, was never better wair'd. |
▪ X. ware
obs. f. war n.1 and a.; var. wary v. Obs.; obs. f. wear v. (and obs. pa. tense); obs. and dial. f. weir; var. vair a. Obs., were Obs.; obs. f. were (see be v.); obs. f. where.