wear

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

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English weren, werien, from Old English werian (“to clothe, cover over; put on, wear, use; stock (land)”), from Proto-West Germanic *waʀjan, from Proto-Germanic *wazjaną (“to clothe”), from Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“to dress, put on (clothes)”).

Cognate to Sanskrit वस्ते (váste), Ancient Greek ἕννυμι (hénnumi, “put on”), Latin vestis (“garment”) (English vest), Albanian vesh (“dress up, wear”), Tocharian B wäs-, Old Armenian զգենում (zgenum), Welsh gwisgo, Hittite 𒉿𒀸- (waš-).

Originally a weak verb (i.e. with a past tense in -ed), it became irregular during the Middle English period by analogy with verbs like beren (whence bear) and teren (whence tear).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wɛə(ɹ)/
• (General American) enPR: wâr, IPA^(key): /wɛ(ə)ɹ/, [wɛɚ], [wɛɹ]
• Homophones: ware; where (wine–whine merger); were, we're (some accents)
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

Verb

wear (third-person singular simple present wears, present participle wearing, simple past wore or (obsolete) ware, past participle worn or (now colloquial and nonstandard) wore or (obsolete) worne)

1. (transitive) To have on:
   1. To carry or have equipped on or about one's body, as an item of clothing, equipment, decoration, etc.
   2. To have or carry on one's person habitually, consistently; or, to maintain in a particular fashion or manner.
   3. To bear or display in one's aspect or appearance.
2. To erode:
   1. To eat away at, erode, diminish, or consume gradually; to cause a gradual deterioration in; to produce (some change) through attrition, exposure, or constant use.
   2. (intransitive, copulative) To undergo gradual deterioration; become impaired; be reduced or consumed gradually due to any continued process, activity, or use.
   3. To exhaust, fatigue, expend, or weary.
   4. (intransitive, colloquial) (in the phrase "wearing on (someone)") To cause annoyance, irritation, fatigue, or weariness near the point of an exhaustion of patience.

3. To endure:
   1. (colloquial, with "it") To overcome one's reluctance and endure a (previously specified) situation.

   2. (intransitive) To last or remain durable under hard use or over time; to retain usefulness, value, or desirable qualities under any continued strain or long period of time; sometimes said of a person, regarding the quality of being easy or difficult to tolerate.

   3. (intransitive, of time) To pass slowly, gradually or tediously.
4. (nautical) To bring (a sailing vessel) onto the other tack by bringing the wind around the stern (as opposed to tacking when the wind is brought around the bow); to come round on another tack by turning away from the wind.

   Synonym: gybe

Derived terms

Related terms

• vest

Translations

See also

• don
• put on

Noun

wear (uncountable)

1. (in combination) Clothing.

2. Damage to the appearance and/or strength of an item caused by use over time.
3. Fashion.
4. Wearing.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:wear.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English weren, werien, from Old English werian (“to guard, keep, defend; ward off, hinder, prevent, forbid; restrain; occupy, inhabit; dam up; discharge obligations on (land)”), from Proto-West Germanic *warjan, from Proto-Germanic *warjaną (“to defend, protect, ward off”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to close, cover, protect, save, defend”).

Cognate with Scots wer, weir (“to defend, protect”), Dutch weren (“to aver, ward off”), German wehren (“to fight”), Swedish värja (“to defend, ward off”), Icelandic verja (“to defend”).

Alternative forms

• wer, weir (Scotland)

Verb

wear (third-person singular simple present wears, present participle wearing, simple past weared or wore, past participle weared or worn or (obsolete) worne)

1. (now chiefly UK dialectal, transitive) To guard; watch; keep watch, especially from entry or invasion.
2. (now chiefly UK dialectal, transitive) To defend; protect.
3. (now chiefly UK dialectal, transitive) To ward off; prevent from approaching or entering; drive off; repel.

   to wear the wolf from the sheep

4. (now chiefly UK dialectal, transitive) To conduct or guide with care or caution, as into a fold or place of safety.

Etymology 3

Noun

wear (plural wears)

2. Dated form of weir.

Anagrams

• Rawe, ware, Ware, -ware, arew, Awre