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ware¹

(wâr)

1. An item that is offered for sale.

2. An attribute or ability, especially when regarded as an article of commerce: "Mathewson had displayed impressive wares with his fastball, big overhand curve and baffling 'fadeaway' (today known as a screwball)" (Stuart Miller).

[Middle English, from Old English waru, goods; see wer-³ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

ware²

(wâr) Archaic

tr.v. wared, war·ing, wares

To beware of.

adj.

1. Watchful; wary.

2. Aware.

[Middle English waren, from Old English warian; see wer-³ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots. Adj., Middle English; see WARY.]

-ware

suff.

1. Articles of the same general kind, made of a specified material, or used in a specific application: hardware; silverware.

2. Software: groupware; shareware.

[From WARE¹. Sense 2, from (SOFT)WARE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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