Where does “wary” come from?
Wary comes from Middle English -y, from Middle French -ie, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ivus, from Latin -ia, from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- and Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi.
wary (English): Cautious of danger; carefully watching and...
Definitions
- Cautious of danger; carefully watching and...
Ancestry of “wary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ware | A placename |
| 2 | Middle English | ware | Alternative form of veir; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Old English | wær | cautious, on guard, watching out for something;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wār | true, reliable |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wēraz | true; reliable; friendly; kind |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |