were

English Online Dictionary. What means were‎? What does were mean?

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English were, weren, from Old English wǣre, wǣron, wǣren, from Proto-Germanic *wēzun, *wēzīn, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-. More at was.

Alternative forms

• ware (old eye dialect)
• weare (obsolete)

Pronunciation

stressed

• (UK) enPR: wûr, IPA^(key): /wɜː(ɹ)/
• (UK, regional) enPR: wâr, IPA^(key): /wɛə(ɹ)/
• (US) enPR: wûr, IPA^(key): /wɝ/
• (Ireland, also) enPR: wär, IPA^(key): /wɑːɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)
• Homophone: whirr (in accents with the wine-whine merger)

unstressed

• (UK) enPR: wər, IPA^(key): /wə(ɹ)/
• (US) enPR: wər, IPA^(key): /wɚ/
• Homophone: we're

Verb

were

1. second-person singular simple past indicative of be

   John, you were the only person to see him.

2. first/second/third-person plural simple past indicative of be

   We were about to leave.

   Mary and John, you were right.

   They were a fine group.

   They were to be the best of friends from that day on.

3. first/second/third-person singular/plural simple present/past subjunctive of be

   I wish that it were Sunday.

   I wish that I were with you.

   • with “if” omitted, put first in an “if” clause:

     Were it simply that she wore a hat, I would not be upset at all. (= If it were simply...)

     Were father a king, we would have war. (= If father were a king,...)
4. (MLE, Northern England) first/third-person singular simple past indicative of be.

Synonyms

• (second-person singular past indicative, archaic) wast (used with “thou”)
• (second-person singular imperfect subjunctive, archaic) wert (used with “thou”)

See also

Etymology 2

From Middle English were, wer, see wer.

Noun

were (plural weres)

1. Alternative form of wer (“man; wergeld”)
   • 1799-1805, Sharon Turner, History of the Anglo-Saxons

     Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was called his were.

Etymology 3

Back-formation from werewolf and other terms in were-, from the same source as English wer, were (“man”) (above).

Noun

were (plural weres)

1. (fandom slang) The collective name for any kind of person that changes into another form under certain conditions, including the werewolf.

Anagrams

• Ewer, ewer, ewre, rewe, weer

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eːrə

Verb

were

1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of weren

Anagrams

• weer

Fijian

Noun

were

1. garden

Verb

were (wereca)

1. to garden, to weed (wereca specifically)

Irarutu

Etymology

From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

were

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

Further reading

• Cornelis L. Voorhoeve, Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist (1975, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics)

Maku'a

Noun

were

1. water

References

• Aone van Engelenhoven, The position of Makuva among the Austronesian languages of Southwest Maluku and East Timor, in Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift, Pacific linguistics 601 (2009)

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English wǣre (second-person singular indicative and subjunctive past of wesan).

Alternative forms

• weer, weere, wer, wære, ware

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛːr(ə)/, /ˈwɛr(ə)/

Verb

were

1. inflection of been:
   1. second-person singular indicative past
   2. singular subjunctive past

Descendants

• English: were (dialectal war, ware)
• Scots: war, waar, ware, waur, wur, wir
• Yola: war, ware

Etymology 2

From weren.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛːr(ə)/

Noun

were (uncountable)

1. wearing

Descendants

• English: wear
• Yola: were, wer

References

• “wēre, n.(4).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 3

From a conflation of Old English wǣron and Old English wǣren.

Verb

were

1. Alternative form of weren

Etymology 4

From Old English werre, wyrre.

Noun

were

1. Alternative form of werre

Mwani

Noun

were class 5 (plural mawere)

1. breast

Northern Kurdish

Verb

were

1. second-person singular imperative of hatin

Onin

Etymology

From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

were

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

Tocharian B

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

were ?

1. smell, scent, odor

Toro

Noun

were

1. day

References

• Roger Blench, The Toro language of Central Nigeria and its affinities (2012)

Uruangnirin

Etymology

From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

were

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

Yola

Alternative forms

• wer

Etymology

From Middle English were.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wiː/
• Homophones: wyer, waare

Noun

were

1. wearing

Related terms

• waare (“to wear”)

References

• 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, published 1867, page 77

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• iwèrè
• ièrè

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wè.ɾè/

Noun

wèrè

1. insanity, madness, imbecile
2. (sometimes derogatory, offensive) mad person

   Synonyms: ayírí, asínwín, aṣiwèrè

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Nigerian Pidgin: werey