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Added 9 October 2026

ware

/ˈwɛə/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ware at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Goods or a type of goods offered for sale or use.
See wares.
Pottery or metal goods.
damascene ware, tole ware

verb

To be ware or mindful of something.
To protect or guard (especially oneself); to be on guard, be wary.
Ware thee.

adjective

Wary; cautious.

noun

Seaweed; drift seaweed; seawrack.

Origin

From Middle English ware, from Old English waru, from Proto-West Germanic *waru, from Proto-Germanic *warō (“attention”) as in beware, in the sense of “an object of care, a valuable”, from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to watch, keep guard”), whence also ward. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Were (“an item for exchange, barter, or sale; ware”), Dutch waar (“goods offered for sale or use; ware”), German Ware (“ware”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk vare (“ware”), Faroese vøra (“ware”), Icelandic and Swedish vara (“ware”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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