were
English
/wɜː(ɹ)/, /wɛə(ɹ)/, /wɝ/, /wə(ɹ)/, /wɚ/
verb form
Definitions
- (inflection of) be
- (inflection of) be
- (inflection of) be
- (Northern England) (inflection of) be.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English were inherited from Old English wǣre derived from Proto-Germanic *wēz- derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (reside, dwell, pass the night, live, spend the night, stay, abide, pass stay the night).
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂wes-
Gloss
reside, dwell, pass the night, live, spend the night, stay, abide, pass stay the night
Concept
Semantic Field
The house
Ontological Category
Action/Process
Emoji
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- nae English
- weir English
- weren English
- weren't English
- werenae English
- Vesta Latin
- αὐλή Ancient Greek
- ἰαύω Ancient Greek
- *h₁es- Proto-Indo-European
- *h₂wes- Proto-Indo-European
- *h₂wóstu Proto-Indo-European
- *wes- Proto-Indo-European
- *beuną Proto-Germanic
- *izum, *wesaną, *izud Proto-Germanic
- *was Proto-Germanic
- *wesaną Proto-Germanic
- *wistiz Proto-Germanic
- *wēz- Proto-Germanic
- wer Old English
- wesan Old English
- wǣre Old English
- वसति Sanskrit
- वस् Sanskrit
- वास Sanskrit
- weer Middle English
- were Middle English
- weren Middle English
- գոյ Old Armenian
- *woseti Proto-Celtic
- *ɸare Proto-Celtic
- *ɸarewostom Proto-Celtic
- vāsa Pali
- *Hwas- Proto-Indo-Iranian
- war Scots
- *a)uaϑā Proto-Albanian
- *wartā Proto-Albanian
- 𒁾 Sumerian
- 𒄷𒍑 Hittite