ware

Pronunciation: /ˈwɛɹ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun articles of the same kind or material; usually used in combination: `silverware', `software'
  2. noun commodities offered for sale
  3. verb spend extravagantly

Etymology

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”).

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
article
Narrower (hyponyms)
article of commerce, tableware, metalware, woodenware

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