"were-" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "gem-pro",
        "4": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "dercat"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "werewolf",
        "gloss": "man-wolf"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from werewolf (“man-wolf”)",
      "name": "back-form"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "werwulf"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English werwulf",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "wer",
        "3": "",
        "4": "man"
      },
      "expansion": "wer (“man”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "wulf",
        "3": "",
        "4": "wolf"
      },
      "expansion": "wulf (“wolf”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from werewolf (“man-wolf”), from Old English werwulf, derived from wer (“man”) + wulf (“wolf”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prefix",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "were-",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "were-",
      "name": "en-prefix"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prefix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English back-formations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Werewolves",
          "orig": "en:Werewolves",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "lycanthrope, used with animal names to indicate a person who changes shape into that animal."
      ],
      "id": "en-were--en-prefix-PEy7GSEy",
      "links": [
        [
          "lycanthrope",
          "lycanthrope"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "english": "were",
          "word": "wer"
        },
        {
          "alt": "weregild",
          "word": "wergeld"
        },
        {
          "word": "werewolf"
        },
        {
          "word": "world"
        },
        {
          "word": "lycanthropy"
        },
        {
          "word": "shapeshifting"
        },
        {
          "word": "shapeshifter"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "rén",
          "sense": "man",
          "tags": [
            "suffix"
          ],
          "word": "人"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "man",
          "word": "var-"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "man",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "weer"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "man",
          "word": "garou"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "man",
          "word": "mannaro"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "ningen",
          "sense": "man",
          "word": "人間"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "saram",
          "sense": "man",
          "word": "사람"
        },
        {
          "code": "lt",
          "lang": "Lithuanian",
          "sense": "man",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "-takas"
        },
        {
          "code": "lt",
          "lang": "Lithuanian",
          "sense": "man",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "-takė"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "man",
          "word": "jadian"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "man",
          "word": "var-"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "man",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "hombre"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/weə(ɹ)/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "were-"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "gem-pro",
        "4": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "dercat"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "werewolf",
        "gloss": "man-wolf"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from werewolf (“man-wolf”)",
      "name": "back-form"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "werwulf"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English werwulf",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "wer",
        "3": "",
        "4": "man"
      },
      "expansion": "wer (“man”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "wulf",
        "3": "",
        "4": "wolf"
      },
      "expansion": "wulf (“wolf”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from werewolf (“man-wolf”), from Old English werwulf, derived from wer (“man”) + wulf (“wolf”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prefix",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "were-",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "were-",
      "name": "en-prefix"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prefix",
  "related": [
    {
      "english": "were",
      "word": "wer"
    },
    {
      "alt": "weregild",
      "word": "wergeld"
    },
    {
      "word": "werewolf"
    },
    {
      "word": "world"
    },
    {
      "word": "lycanthropy"
    },
    {
      "word": "shapeshifting"
    },
    {
      "word": "shapeshifter"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English 1-syllable words",
        "English back-formations",
        "English lemmas",
        "English prefixes",
        "English terms derived from Old English",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
        "English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
        "English terms inherited from Old English",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "en:Werewolves"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "lycanthrope, used with animal names to indicate a person who changes shape into that animal."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "lycanthrope",
          "lycanthrope"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/weə(ɹ)/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "rén",
      "sense": "man",
      "tags": [
        "suffix"
      ],
      "word": "人"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "man",
      "word": "var-"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "man",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "weer"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "man",
      "word": "garou"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "man",
      "word": "mannaro"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "ningen",
      "sense": "man",
      "word": "人間"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "saram",
      "sense": "man",
      "word": "사람"
    },
    {
      "code": "lt",
      "lang": "Lithuanian",
      "sense": "man",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "-takas"
    },
    {
      "code": "lt",
      "lang": "Lithuanian",
      "sense": "man",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "-takė"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "man",
      "word": "jadian"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "man",
      "word": "var-"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "man",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "hombre"
    }
  ],
  "word": "were-"
}