werian

Old English

Alternative forms

• werġan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwer.jɑn/, [ˈwerˠ.jɑn]

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *waʀjan, from Proto-Germanic *wazjaną. Cognate with Old Saxon werian, Old High German werien, Old Norse verja.

Verb

werian

2. to wear
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans

     Be þām hringum man meahte witan hwæt Rōmāna duguþe ġefeallen wæs, for þon þe hit wæs þēaw mid him on þām dagum þæt nān ōðer ne mōste gyldenne hring werian būtan hē æðeles cynnes wǣre.

     You could tell by the rings how much of the Roman nobility had fallen, because the custom back then was that no one could wear a gold ring unless they were from a noble family.

Conjugation

Conjugation of werian (weak class 1)

infinitive	werian	werienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	werie	werede
second person singular	werest	weredest
third person singular	wereþ	werede
plural	weriaþ	weredon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	werie	werede
plural	werien	wereden
imperative
singular	were
plural	weriaþ
participle	present	past
	weriende	(ġe)wered

Descendants

• Middle English: werien, weren
  • Scots: were, weir
  • English: wear

Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *warjan.

Cognate with Old Saxon werian, Middle Dutch weren (Dutch weren), Old High German werien (German wehren), Old Norse verja (Swedish värja).

Verb

werian

2. to hinder, restrain; to dam up
3. to defend, protect

Conjugation

Conjugation of werian (weak class 1)

infinitive	werian	werienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	werie	werede
second person singular	werest	weredest
third person singular	wereþ	werede
plural	weriaþ	weredon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	werie	werede
plural	werien	wereden
imperative
singular	were
plural	weriaþ
participle	present	past
	weriende	(ġe)wered

Descendants

• Middle English: werien
  • Scots: were, wer, weir
  • English: wear

Etymology 3

From Proto-West Germanic *weʀēn, from Proto-West Germanic *weʀēn, from Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“to remain, dwell”).

Verb

werian

2. to remain, continue, dwell

Conjugation

Conjugation of werian (weak class 2)

infinitive	werian	werienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	weriġe	werode
second person singular	werast	werodest
third person singular	weraþ	werode
plural	weriaþ	werodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	weriġe	werode
plural	weriġen	weroden
imperative
singular	wera
plural	weriaþ
participle	present	past
	weriende	(ġe)werod

Related terms

• warian

Descendants

• Middle English: weren