war English · revision 2031

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1121 (wyrre)|origins=frk *werra}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /wɔː/, US /wɔːr/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|werre]], [[inh|ang|wyrre]] or [[m|ang|werre]], recorded late in the Old English period,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) [[bor|fro-nor|werre]], a variant of [[m|fro|guerre]],^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) from [[frk|*werra|t=confusion, strife]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(SOED 2002) It is related to [[goh|werra|t=confusion, strife]] and [[m|goh|werran|t=to confuse]] (modern [[de|verwirren|t=to confuse, perplex]]),^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)^(MWU 2024) and to [[worse]].^(SOED 2002)^(COED 2004)^(Cresswell 2021) Watkins derives it from [[ine-pro|*wers-|t=to confuse, mix up]];^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2000) Barnhart and Klein compare [[la|verrere|t=to sweep]] and [[hit|warsiya-]], although Pokorny denies the connection.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Klein 1966) The Romance languages took the Germanic word ([[es|guerra]], [[it|guerra]]), perhaps because [[la|bellum|t=war]] was easily confused with [[m|la|bellus|t=beautiful]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The verb comes from the noun, partly after Old Northern French werreier.^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Large-scale armed conflict: late Old English ''wyrre'', before 1121.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) Before this, Old English had no ordinary word for war;^(Cresswell 2021) it rendered Latin ''bellum'' with ''gewin'' “struggle, strife”, and its poetic words were ''wig'', ''guð'', ''heaðo'' and ''hild''.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word was applied to particular wars from about 1200,^(Etymonline) to a state of hostility between people in a community by the late 12th century,^(Etymonline) and to fighting as a profession, as in ''man-of-war'', by the mid-14th century.^(Etymonline) ''In war and peace'' “at all times” is from the late 14th century.^(Etymonline) The verb “to make war” appears before 1160.^(Barnhart 1988) Later derivatives include ''warfare'' (1456), ''warmonger'' (1590, in Spenser), ''war horse'' (1653), ''warpath'' (1775, American) and ''warhead'' (1898).^(Barnhart 1988) The saying ''war is hell'' is recorded by 1850 and was credited to General Sherman by 1882.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1121 – late Old English ''wyrre''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * before 1160 – verb.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1200 – a particular war.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-14th century – war as a profession.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1420 – ''warlike''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1456 – ''warfare''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1590 – ''warmonger'' (Spenser).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1653 – ''war horse''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1775 – ''warpath''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1898 – ''warhead''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A state of open armed [[conflict]] between nations, states or parties.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+ # The period of such a conflict.^(AHD)

+ # The art of fighting; military science.^(AHD)^(HTOED)

+ # Active hostility or [[rivalry]].^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # A campaign against something harmful: ''a war on poverty''.^(AHD)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To wage war; to fight.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+ # To be in conflict; to [[contend]].^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[warless]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[worse]]

+ * [[guerrilla]]

+ * [[warfare]]

+ * [[wurst]]

+ * [[liverwurst]]

+ * [[warrior]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Scots and northern English have a separate ''war'' or ''waur'' meaning “worse”, from Old Norse ''verri''.^(SOED 2002)^(MWU 2024)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}