wear English · revision 2856

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 899, Alfred|origins=ine-pro *wes-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

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

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|weren]],^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) [[inh|ang|werian|t=to clothe, put on, cover]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*wazjaną]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) the source also of Old Saxon and Old High German werien, Old Norse verja and Gothic wasjan “to clothe”,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) from [[ine-pro|*wes-|t=to clothe]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) which is also the source of Latin vestis “clothing” (whence [[vest]]), Greek hennúnai “to clothe”, Sanskrit váste “puts on” and Hittite wassiya- “to clothe”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) The old weak verb became strong (wore, worn) on the model of bear, swear and tear, from the 1300s, and the change was hardly established before the 1500s.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) The noun is from the verb.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old English werian, “to clothe, put on”, is found before 899, in Alfred's translation of Orosius,^(Barnhart 1988) and “to carry on the body as clothing” about 893 in the OED.^(OED 1989) Barnhart's first Middle English example, before 1121, is of growing the hair or beard in a certain way.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The secondary sense, “to consume or damage by frequent use”, from the late 13th century,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) comes from the effect of continued use on clothes.^(Etymonline) The Germanic verb for wearing was a homonym of the verb for “to protect, ward off” (Gothic warjan, Old English werian), which may explain why it was displaced in most Germanic languages.^(Etymonline) “To last out in use” is from the 16th century.^(Hoad 1986) ''Wear out'' is by the late 14th century,^(Etymonline) ''wear away'' by the mid-15th century,^(Etymonline) ''wear off'' from the 1690s,^(Etymonline) and ''wear down'', “to blunt by steady resistance”, from 1843.^(Etymonline) The noun, the action of wearing, is from 1464,^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) clothing, as in ''menswear'', from 1570,^(Barnhart 1988) and ''wear and tear'' from 1666, in Pepys,^(Barnhart 1988) or the 1660s.^(Etymonline) ''The worse for wear'' is from 1782.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 899 – Old English werian, to clothe.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * late 13th century – to wear out by use.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * late 14th century – ''wear out''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1464 – noun, the action of wearing.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1570 – noun, clothing.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1666 – ''wear and tear''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1690s – ''wear off''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1782 – ''the worse for wear''.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1843 – ''wear down''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To have on the body as [[clothing]], decoration or protection.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To have or show in one's appearance: ''wear a smile'', ''wear one's hair long''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To damage or reduce by long use or friction; to be damaged in this way.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # To last in use: ''the coat has worn well''.^(AHD)^(Hoad 1986)

+ # To [[tire]] or exhaust: ''worn out''.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Of time: to pass slowly: ''the evening wore on''.^(AHD)

+ # ''(British, informal)'' To accept or tolerate.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # Clothing of a particular kind: ''evening wear''.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ # Damage from use: ''wear and tear''.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ # The act of wearing; use as clothing.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Capacity to last in use.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[wearer]]

+ * [[outwear]]

+ * [[outworn]]

+ * [[overwear]]

+ * [[ready-to-wear]]

+ * [[rewear]]

+ * [[wearability]]

+ * [[unwearable]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[vest]]

+ * [[vestment]]

+ * [[invest]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A separate nautical verb ''wear'', past tense wore, “to bring a ship onto the other tack by turning the stern to the wind”, is from the early 17th century and of unknown origin.^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002)^(NODE 1998) A third ''wear'', “to defend, protect”, survives in dialect and is related to [[weir]].^(MWU 2024)^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}