See were in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"raw_tags": [
"dialectal war",
"ware"
],
"word": "were"
},
{
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "war"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waar"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wir"
}
],
"lang": "Middle Scots",
"lang_code": "gmw-msc",
"word": "wer"
},
{
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "war"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waar"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wir"
}
],
"lang": "Middle Scots",
"lang_code": "gmw-msc",
"word": "war"
},
{
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "war"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waar"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wir"
}
],
"lang": "Middle Scots",
"lang_code": "gmw-msc",
"word": "ware"
},
{
"lang": "Yola",
"lang_code": "yol",
"word": "war"
},
{
"lang": "Yola",
"lang_code": "yol",
"word": "ware"
}
],
"etymology_links": [
[
"wǣre",
"wære#Old_English"
],
[
"wǣren",
"wæren#Old_English"
],
[
"wǣron",
"wæron#Old_English"
],
[
"*wesan",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/wesan"
],
[
"*wesaną",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wesaną"
],
[
"vesa",
"vesa#Old_Norse"
],
[
"vera",
"vera#Old_Norse"
],
[
"ware",
"ware#Middle_English"
]
],
"etymology_number": "1",
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": ":inh",
"3": "ang:wǣre",
"4": "ang:wǣron",
"5": "ang:wǣren",
"id": "be"
},
"expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂wes-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*wēzīn\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*wāʀīn\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"wǣre\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"wǣron\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"wǣren\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"were\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" }\" data-id=\"be\" data-lang=\"enm\" data-title=\"were\" id=\"Middle_English:_be\">",
"name": "etymon"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "",
"2": "i",
"3": "I"
},
"expansion": "I",
"name": "yesno"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "Inherited"
},
"expansion": "Inherited",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "wǣre",
"4": "",
"5": "",
"g": "",
"g2": "",
"g3": "",
"id": "",
"lit": "",
"nocat": "",
"pos": "",
"sc": "",
"sort": "",
"tr": "",
"ts": ""
},
"expansion": "Old English wǣre",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "wǣre"
},
"expansion": "Inherited from Old English wǣre",
"name": "inh+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "",
"4": "*wāʀ-"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wāʀ-",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "",
"4": "*wēʀ-"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wēʀ-",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "non",
"3": "",
"4": "vár-"
},
"expansion": "Old Norse vár-",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "",
"3": "*wār-"
},
"expansion": "Old English *wār-",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": ":inh",
"3": "ang:wǣre",
"4": "ang:wǣron",
"5": "ang:wǣren",
"id": "be"
},
"expansion": "",
"name": "etymon"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Inherited from Old English wǣre, wǣren, wǣron, from Proto-West Germanic *wāʀ-, finite past plural and subjunctive stem of *wesan, from Proto-West Germanic *wēʀ-, finite past plural and subjunctive stem of *wesaną.\nSome forms are influenced by Old Norse vár-, vǫ́r-, finite past plural and subjunctive stem of vesa, vera, though East Saxon forms such as ware reflect East Saxon Old English *wār-; West Midland /ˈwœːr(ə)/ presumably originates from rounding of /ɛ/ between /w/ and /r/ in reduced forms with a short vowel.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "weer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "weere",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wære",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Early-Middle-English"
]
},
{
"form": "weore",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wuere",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wor",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wore",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wair",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern"
]
},
{
"form": "war",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern"
]
},
{
"form": "ware",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern"
]
},
{
"form": "warre",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "verb form"
},
"expansion": "were",
"name": "head"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "11 8 8 23 11 8 8 23",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with etymon",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"word": "been"
}
],
"glosses": [
"second-person singular indicative past of been"
],
"id": "en-were-enm-verb-fyvCPRyE",
"links": [
[
"been",
"been#Middle_English"
]
],
"tags": [
"form-of",
"indicative",
"past",
"second-person",
"singular"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
48,
53
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
58,
66
]
],
"english": "Then I felt curiosity in my mind regarding who this woman could be / that showed me such wise words of Holy Scripture, and asked her by the Holy Name where she came from […]",
"ref": "c. 1370, [William Langland], “[Passus 1]”, in Petrus plowmon (V, A-text), Worcestershire, published c. 1390, folio 395, recto; republished as Bodleian Library MS. Eng. poet. a. 1, Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 10 January 2019:",
"text": "¶Þēne hedde I. wonder in my wit. what wōmon hit weoꝛe. / Þat suche wyse woꝛdes. of holy writ me ſchewede / And halſede hire in þe heiȝe nome. er heo þeonne ȝeode.",
"translation": "Then I felt curiosity in my mind regarding who this woman could be / that showed me such wise words of Holy Scripture, and asked her by the Holy Name where she came from […]",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
12,
15
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
7,
12
],
[
18,
20
]
],
"english": "And it would also be greatly against his conscience, which should defend them and their possessions, if he took their possessions from them without legal justification. / God defend our king from the infamy of this, and provide him with grace to improve his realm with riches, wealth, and prosperity to his perpetual credit and honour.",
"ref": "c. 1471, Joh[annes] fforteſcue, “Heꝛe aft͛ ys schewyd what haꝛme would come to Englond yf the cȏmons theꝛof weꝛe pooꝛe”, in [Governance of England] (Bodleian MS. Digby 145), Adrıan[us] ffoꝛteſcu, published 1532, folio [149, recto]; republished at Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 16 August 2022:",
"text": "And alſo ıt wer also gretely ayenſte hıs conſyence that awght to defend them ⁊ theır goodꝰ. ıf he toke from them theır goodꝰ wᵗout lawfull cauſe / ffrom the infamye wherof. god defend owre kyng. and gyue hym gcͣe to augment hıs realme ın ryċeſſe welth ⁊ ꝕſperyte to hıs ꝑpetual laude ⁊ honour /",
"translation": "And it would also be greatly against his conscience, which should defend them and their possessions, if he took their possessions from them without legal justification. / God defend our king from the infamy of this, and provide him with grace to improve his realm with riches, wealth, and prosperity to his perpetual credit and honour.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"word": "been"
}
],
"glosses": [
"singular subjunctive past of been"
],
"id": "en-were-enm-verb-tR099yF~",
"links": [
[
"been",
"been#Middle_English"
]
],
"tags": [
"form-of",
"past",
"singular",
"subjunctive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
116,
121
]
],
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[
117,
121
]
],
"english": "A heaping of hermits got themselves spades / and scooped dirt and dung to block up Hunger; / the blind and bedridden were cured by the thousands.",
"ref": "c. 1370, [William Langland], “[Passus 7]”, in Petrus plowmon (V, A-text), Worcestershire, published c. 1390, folio 399, recto; republished as Bodleian Library MS. Eng. poet. a. 1, Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 10 January 2019:",
"text": "An Hep of Hermytes. henten heom ſpades. / And doluen drit. ⁊. donge. to dutte Honger oute. / ¶ Blynde and Bedraden. weoꝛe Botned a þouſent",
"translation": "A heaping of hermits got themselves spades / and scooped dirt and dung to block up Hunger; / the blind and bedridden were cured by the thousands.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"word": "been"
}
],
"glosses": [
"plural indicative/subjunctive past of been"
],
"id": "en-were-enm-verb-neNdY01J",
"links": [
[
"been",
"been#Middle_English"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "weren"
}
],
"tags": [
"form-of",
"indicative",
"past",
"plural",
"subjunctive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
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"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with etymon",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 18 18 41",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English entries referencing missing etymons",
"parents": [],
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},
{
"_dis": "23 18 18 41",
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},
{
"_dis": "9 9 13 8 6 7 3 7 24 8 8",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "21 17 17 45",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
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{
"word": "been"
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],
"glosses": [
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],
"id": "en-were-enm-verb-4~529BXq",
"links": [
[
"been",
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]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(rare) first-person/third-person singular indicative past of been"
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "was"
}
],
"tags": [
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"form-of",
"indicative",
"past",
"rare",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɛːr(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈweːr(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwaːr(ə)/",
"note": "East Saxon"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwœːr(ə)/",
"note": "West Midland"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɔːr(ə)/",
"note": "especially North Midland or Norfolk"
},
{
"ipa": "/waːr/",
"note": "from vár-, vǫ́r-",
"tags": [
"Northern"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɛr(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwar(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɔr(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwœr(ə)/",
"note": "West Midland",
"tags": [
"reduced"
]
}
],
"word": "were"
}
{
"descendants": [
{
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"lang_code": "en",
"word": "wear"
},
{
"lang": "Yola",
"lang_code": "yol",
"word": "were"
},
{
"lang": "Yola",
"lang_code": "yol",
"word": "wer"
}
],
"etymology_links": [
[
"weren",
"weren#Middle_English:_to_wear"
]
],
"etymology_number": "2",
"etymology_text": "From weren (“to wear”).",
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{
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},
{
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{
"extra": "war",
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],
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{
"extra": "worse",
"word": "werre"
}
],
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],
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],
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}
],
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}
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}
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{
"extra": "to wear",
"word": "weren"
}
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],
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}
{
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"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
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{
"word": "worien"
}
],
"categories": [
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"kind": "other",
"name": "County Durham Middle English",
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}
],
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],
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]
],
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],
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}
],
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}
{
"categories": [
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"Middle English entries with etymon",
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English non-lemma forms",
"Middle English terms derived from Old English",
"Middle English terms derived from Old Norse",
"Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
"Middle English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
"Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
"Middle English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂wes-",
"Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
"Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
"Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
"Middle English variant non-lemma forms",
"Middle English verb forms",
"Pages using etymon with no ID",
"Pages with 15 entries",
"Pages with entries",
"Pages with etymon"
],
"descendants": [
{
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"lang_code": "en",
"raw_tags": [
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},
{
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},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
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},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wir"
}
],
"lang": "Middle Scots",
"lang_code": "gmw-msc",
"word": "wer"
},
{
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "war"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waar"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wir"
}
],
"lang": "Middle Scots",
"lang_code": "gmw-msc",
"word": "war"
},
{
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "war"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waar"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "waur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wur"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "wir"
}
],
"lang": "Middle Scots",
"lang_code": "gmw-msc",
"word": "ware"
},
{
"lang": "Yola",
"lang_code": "yol",
"word": "war"
},
{
"lang": "Yola",
"lang_code": "yol",
"word": "ware"
}
],
"etymology_links": [
[
"wǣre",
"wære#Old_English"
],
[
"wǣren",
"wæren#Old_English"
],
[
"wǣron",
"wæron#Old_English"
],
[
"*wesan",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/wesan"
],
[
"*wesaną",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wesaną"
],
[
"vesa",
"vesa#Old_Norse"
],
[
"vera",
"vera#Old_Norse"
],
[
"ware",
"ware#Middle_English"
]
],
"etymology_number": "1",
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": ":inh",
"3": "ang:wǣre",
"4": "ang:wǣron",
"5": "ang:wǣren",
"id": "be"
},
"expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂wes-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*wēzīn\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*wāʀīn\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"wǣre\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"wǣron\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"wǣren\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"were\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" }\" data-id=\"be\" data-lang=\"enm\" data-title=\"were\" id=\"Middle_English:_be\">",
"name": "etymon"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "",
"2": "i",
"3": "I"
},
"expansion": "I",
"name": "yesno"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "Inherited"
},
"expansion": "Inherited",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "wǣre",
"4": "",
"5": "",
"g": "",
"g2": "",
"g3": "",
"id": "",
"lit": "",
"nocat": "",
"pos": "",
"sc": "",
"sort": "",
"tr": "",
"ts": ""
},
"expansion": "Old English wǣre",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "wǣre"
},
"expansion": "Inherited from Old English wǣre",
"name": "inh+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "",
"4": "*wāʀ-"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wāʀ-",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "",
"4": "*wēʀ-"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wēʀ-",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "non",
"3": "",
"4": "vár-"
},
"expansion": "Old Norse vár-",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "",
"3": "*wār-"
},
"expansion": "Old English *wār-",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": ":inh",
"3": "ang:wǣre",
"4": "ang:wǣron",
"5": "ang:wǣren",
"id": "be"
},
"expansion": "",
"name": "etymon"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Inherited from Old English wǣre, wǣren, wǣron, from Proto-West Germanic *wāʀ-, finite past plural and subjunctive stem of *wesan, from Proto-West Germanic *wēʀ-, finite past plural and subjunctive stem of *wesaną.\nSome forms are influenced by Old Norse vár-, vǫ́r-, finite past plural and subjunctive stem of vesa, vera, though East Saxon forms such as ware reflect East Saxon Old English *wār-; West Midland /ˈwœːr(ə)/ presumably originates from rounding of /ɛ/ between /w/ and /r/ in reduced forms with a short vowel.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "weer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "weere",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wære",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Early-Middle-English"
]
},
{
"form": "weore",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wuere",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wor",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wore",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "wair",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern"
]
},
{
"form": "war",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern"
]
},
{
"form": "ware",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern"
]
},
{
"form": "warre",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "verb form"
},
"expansion": "were",
"name": "head"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"Middle English second-person singular past forms"
],
"form_of": [
{
"word": "been"
}
],
"glosses": [
"second-person singular indicative past of been"
],
"links": [
[
"been",
"been#Middle_English"
]
],
"tags": [
"form-of",
"indicative",
"past",
"second-person",
"singular"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"Middle English singular past subjunctive forms",
"Middle English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
48,
53
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
58,
66
]
],
"english": "Then I felt curiosity in my mind regarding who this woman could be / that showed me such wise words of Holy Scripture, and asked her by the Holy Name where she came from […]",
"ref": "c. 1370, [William Langland], “[Passus 1]”, in Petrus plowmon (V, A-text), Worcestershire, published c. 1390, folio 395, recto; republished as Bodleian Library MS. Eng. poet. a. 1, Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 10 January 2019:",
"text": "¶Þēne hedde I. wonder in my wit. what wōmon hit weoꝛe. / Þat suche wyse woꝛdes. of holy writ me ſchewede / And halſede hire in þe heiȝe nome. er heo þeonne ȝeode.",
"translation": "Then I felt curiosity in my mind regarding who this woman could be / that showed me such wise words of Holy Scripture, and asked her by the Holy Name where she came from […]",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
12,
15
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
7,
12
],
[
18,
20
]
],
"english": "And it would also be greatly against his conscience, which should defend them and their possessions, if he took their possessions from them without legal justification. / God defend our king from the infamy of this, and provide him with grace to improve his realm with riches, wealth, and prosperity to his perpetual credit and honour.",
"ref": "c. 1471, Joh[annes] fforteſcue, “Heꝛe aft͛ ys schewyd what haꝛme would come to Englond yf the cȏmons theꝛof weꝛe pooꝛe”, in [Governance of England] (Bodleian MS. Digby 145), Adrıan[us] ffoꝛteſcu, published 1532, folio [149, recto]; republished at Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 16 August 2022:",
"text": "And alſo ıt wer also gretely ayenſte hıs conſyence that awght to defend them ⁊ theır goodꝰ. ıf he toke from them theır goodꝰ wᵗout lawfull cauſe / ffrom the infamye wherof. god defend owre kyng. and gyue hym gcͣe to augment hıs realme ın ryċeſſe welth ⁊ ꝕſperyte to hıs ꝑpetual laude ⁊ honour /",
"translation": "And it would also be greatly against his conscience, which should defend them and their possessions, if he took their possessions from them without legal justification. / God defend our king from the infamy of this, and provide him with grace to improve his realm with riches, wealth, and prosperity to his perpetual credit and honour.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"word": "been"
}
],
"glosses": [
"singular subjunctive past of been"
],
"links": [
[
"been",
"been#Middle_English"
]
],
"tags": [
"form-of",
"past",
"singular",
"subjunctive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"Middle English plural past forms",
"Middle English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
116,
121
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
117,
121
]
],
"english": "A heaping of hermits got themselves spades / and scooped dirt and dung to block up Hunger; / the blind and bedridden were cured by the thousands.",
"ref": "c. 1370, [William Langland], “[Passus 7]”, in Petrus plowmon (V, A-text), Worcestershire, published c. 1390, folio 399, recto; republished as Bodleian Library MS. Eng. poet. a. 1, Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 10 January 2019:",
"text": "An Hep of Hermytes. henten heom ſpades. / And doluen drit. ⁊. donge. to dutte Honger oute. / ¶ Blynde and Bedraden. weoꝛe Botned a þouſent",
"translation": "A heaping of hermits got themselves spades / and scooped dirt and dung to block up Hunger; / the blind and bedridden were cured by the thousands.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"word": "been"
}
],
"glosses": [
"plural indicative/subjunctive past of been"
],
"links": [
[
"been",
"been#Middle_English"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "weren"
}
],
"tags": [
"form-of",
"indicative",
"past",
"plural",
"subjunctive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"Middle English terms with rare senses"
],
"form_of": [
{
"word": "been"
}
],
"glosses": [
"first-person/third-person singular indicative past of been"
],
"links": [
[
"been",
"been#Middle_English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(rare) first-person/third-person singular indicative past of been"
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "was"
}
],
"tags": [
"first-person",
"form-of",
"indicative",
"past",
"rare",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɛːr(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈweːr(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwaːr(ə)/",
"note": "East Saxon"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwœːr(ə)/",
"note": "West Midland"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɔːr(ə)/",
"note": "especially North Midland or Norfolk"
},
{
"ipa": "/waːr/",
"note": "from vár-, vǫ́r-",
"tags": [
"Northern"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɛr(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwar(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɔr(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈwœr(ə)/",
"note": "West Midland",
"tags": [
"reduced"
]
}
],
"word": "were"
}
{
"categories": [
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English lemmas",
"Middle English nouns",
"Middle English uncountable nouns",
"Middle English variant non-lemma forms",
"Pages with 15 entries",
"Pages with entries"
],
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"word": "wear"
},
{
"lang": "Yola",
"lang_code": "yol",
"word": "were"
},
{
"lang": "Yola",
"lang_code": "yol",
"word": "wer"
}
],
"etymology_links": [
[
"weren",
"weren#Middle_English:_to_wear"
]
],
"etymology_number": "2",
"etymology_text": "From weren (“to wear”).",
"head_templates": [
{
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"2": "noun",
"g": "",
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"g3": "",
"head": "",
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},
"expansion": "were",
"name": "head"
},
{
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},
"expansion": "were (uncountable)",
"name": "enm-noun"
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],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"wearing"
],
"links": [
[
"wearing",
"wearing"
]
],
"tags": [
"uncountable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈwɛːr(ə)/"
}
],
"word": "were"
}
{
"categories": [
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"expansion": "were",
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}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"alt_of": [
{
"extra": "war",
"word": "werre"
}
],
"glosses": [
"alternative form of werre (“war”)"
],
"links": [
[
"werre",
"werre#Middle_English:_war"
],
[
"war",
"war"
]
],
"tags": [
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]
}
],
"word": "were"
}
{
"categories": [
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"etymology_number": "4",
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{
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"2": "adjective form",
"var": "1"
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"expansion": "were",
"name": "head"
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],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"alt_of": [
{
"extra": "worse",
"word": "werre"
}
],
"glosses": [
"alternative form of werre (“worse”)"
],
"links": [
[
"werre",
"werre#Middle_English:_worse"
],
[
"worse",
"worse"
]
],
"tags": [
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"alternative"
]
}
],
"word": "were"
}
{
"categories": [
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"var": "1"
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"expansion": "were",
"name": "head"
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],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "adv",
"senses": [
{
"alt_of": [
{
"extra": "worse",
"word": "werre"
}
],
"glosses": [
"alternative form of werre (“worse”)"
],
"links": [
[
"werre",
"werre#Middle_English:_worse"
],
[
"worse",
"worse"
]
],
"tags": [
"alt-of",
"alternative"
]
}
],
"word": "were"
}
{
"categories": [
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English variant lemmas",
"Middle English variant non-lemma forms",
"Pages with 15 entries",
"Pages with entries"
],
"etymology_number": "4",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "noun",
"var": "1"
},
"expansion": "were",
"name": "head"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"alt_of": [
{
"extra": "worse",
"word": "werre"
}
],
"glosses": [
"alternative form of werre (“worse”)"
],
"links": [
[
"werre",
"werre#Middle_English:_worse"
],
[
"worse",
"worse"
]
],
"tags": [
"alt-of",
"alternative"
]
}
],
"word": "were"
}
{
"categories": [
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English variant lemmas",
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"etymology_number": "5",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "verb",
"var": "1"
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"expansion": "were",
"name": "head"
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],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"alt_of": [
{
"extra": "to wear",
"word": "weren"
}
],
"glosses": [
"alternative form of weren (“to wear”)"
],
"links": [
[
"weren",
"weren#Middle_English:_to_wear"
]
],
"tags": [
"alt-of",
"alternative"
]
}
],
"word": "were"
}
{
"categories": [
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English variant non-lemma forms",
"Pages with 15 entries",
"Pages with entries"
],
"etymology_number": "6",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "verb form",
"var": "1"
},
"expansion": "were",
"name": "head"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"alt_of": [
{
"word": "worien"
}
],
"categories": [
"County Durham Middle English"
],
"glosses": [
"alternative form of worien"
],
"links": [
[
"worien",
"worien#Middle_English"
]
],
"qualifier": "County Durham",
"raw_glosses": [
"(County Durham) alternative form of worien"
],
"tags": [
"alt-of",
"alternative"
]
}
],
"word": "were"
}
Download raw JSONL data for were meaning in Middle English (15.8kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-10-01 using wiktextract (f9fe161 and 6f96ddf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.