Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Were

//wə(ɹ)// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun

1
Alternative form of wer (“man; wergeld”). alt-of, alternative
"1799-1805, Sharon Turner, History of the Anglo-Saxons Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was called his were."
2
The collective name for any kind of person that changes into another form under certain conditions, including the werewolf. slang

Verb

1
second-person singular simple past indicative of be form-of, indicative, past, second-person, singular
"John, you were the only person to see him."
2
plural simple past indicative of be form-of, indicative, past, plural
"We were about to leave."
3
simple subjunctive of be
"I wish that it were Sunday."
4
first/third-person singular simple past indicative of be. Ireland, Multicultural-London-English, Northern-England, first-person, form-of, indicative, past, singular, third-person

Etymology

Etymology 1

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

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English were, wer, see wer.

Etymology 3

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

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: were