Obs. Forms: 1 wierʓan, wirʓan, werʓzn, wyr(i)ʓan, wiriʓan, wirian, north. wœrʓa, Mercian wærʓan, 2 wereʓian, 3–4 werie, 4–5 wery, 4 werye, werry, Sc. very, 6 weray; 3–7 warie, 4–5 wari, warrie, 4 Sc. vary, 4–6 warye, (5 warow), 4–5, 8 warry, 5–6 warre, 6 warrye, 4–7 wary. [OE. wierʓan, wærʓan:—OTeut. *warʓjan, f. *warʓo-z, OE. wearʓ felon, WARY sb. Cf. Goth. gawarʓjan to condemn (= OE. ʓewierʓan to curse), OS. giwaragean, OHG. far-wergen to curse (cf. FOR-WARY v.)]
1. trans. To invoke a curse upon; to declare accursed; to pour maledictions upon.
c. 725. Corpus Gloss., D 25. Deuotaturus, werʓendi.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., xlix. 376. Se þe his hwæte hyt, hiene wierʓð ðæt folc.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. v. 11. Eadiʓe synd ʓe þonne hiʓ wyriað eow and ehtað eow.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, 131/3. Deuoto, ic wyrʓe.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 183. Iuele wurmes mote þe chewe…, rotie mote þu to time. þus wareð þe sowle þe licame, for þat hit haueð þar after ierned.
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 319. Þe Inglis men were wone, to wery long trayne.
1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 7422. Þai salle wery þe tyme þat þai war wroght.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 1619. And Poliphete þey gonnen þus to waryen An-honged be swych on were he my broþer. Ibid., V. 1378. My Ioye in wo I kan seye yow naught ellis Bot torned is, for which my lif I warie.
c. 1400. Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton, 1483), IV. xxxviii. (1859), 65. Thus is the kynge of his people waryed, and cursid.
c. 1440. Rel. Pieces fr. Thornton MS., xiv. 195. Than thay wepede and weryede þaire werke and þaire wyll.
c. 1440. Pallad. on Husb., I. 530. It is an adversarie To every seed, now everie birdde hem warie!
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 516/2. Waryyn’, or cursyn’, imprecor, maledico, execror.
c. 1450. Holland, Houlate, 954. He waryit the tyde That he was wrocht in this warld wofull in weir.
c. 1460. Play Sacram., 479, in Non-Cycle Myst. Plays, 72. Now alle þe deuyllys of hell hym wari.
c. 1470. Harding, Chron. CCIII. iv. The commens all than of all Englande grounde, Warred his gate [v.r. cursed his viage] to Wales euery yere.
a. 1500. Ratis Raving, 1994. For-thi I bles it [this age] nocht as best, Na yit I wary it nocht as verst.
1509. Barclay, Ship of Fools (1874), I. 70. Consyder this prouerbe of antyquyte And your vnkyndnes weray ban and curse.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, III. vi. 188. Thus oft the pepill but ansueir gayis thair wayis, And wariis the sait of Sibyll all thair dayis.
1572. Satir. Poems Reform., xxxi. 193. Than sall thay warie, curse, & ban The murtherars yat yir weiris began.
a. 1605. Montgomerie, Misc. P., xxi. 25. O! waryit be the vhyle That euer we wer acquent! Ibid., Sonn., xxxiii. 1. Vhom suld I warie bot my wicked weard.
a. 1667. Skinner, Etymol. (1671), To Wary, vox agro Lanc. familiaris quæ significat Maledicere.
c. 1746. J. Collier (Tim Bobbin), View Lanc. Dial. (1770), 19. Theyr’n warrying, banning, on cawing one onother leawsy Eawls, os thick os leet.
b. To pronounce a formal curse against. (Said of God, the Church, etc.)
a. 1352. Minot, Poems, App. ii. 214. Weried with Goddes mowth mai ȝe warand.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xv. (Barnabas), 157. & þare tempyl waryt he [Barnabas] quhare-in sik men had entre.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 14. Þe kirke … mai not iustli wari him, ne pray iuil to him.
a. 1425. Cursor M., 22103 (Trin.). Oure lorde warieþ þese two townes. And thus seiþ … Corozaym euer be þe wo And þe bethsaida eke also.
1562. Aberd. Kirk Sess. Rec. (Spalding Club), 7. God commandis fader and moder to be honored … cursing and wareyng all brekaris of this commandment.
absol. c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 13. Þo ministris of þe kirke … owe boþe to curse and wari, but neuer for iuil wille ne veniaunce, but for luf of ritwisnes.
2. To speak impiously or profanely against; to blaspheme.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Lev. xxiv. 16. Se man, þe wiriʓð drihtnes naman, swelte he deaðe.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, lxxxviii. 31. Si iusticias meas prophanauerint … If thai wery my rightwisnesis.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, iv. (James), 226. Bot þu wary þe name of criste Ihesu,… þu sal be vnheidyt.
a. 1500. Ratis Raving, 3411. Wary nocht god for thi mischans.
3. To afflict with evils or calamities: = CURSE v. 5. Chiefly as pa. pple., also in phr. waried worth (it, them, etc.) = may it, they, be afflicted.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 18. For þat þu ete þat ich þe forboden hadde, waried wurðe þe eorðe on þine werke.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 920. Þe werd es werid wit þi sin.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 203. Whan God took wreche of Kaymes synne, Þe erthe was waryed in his werk.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, ix. 24. The wickid that noyes til his neghtbure es blissid,… thof he ware better worthi to be werid.
a. 1400. Morte Arth., 959. Weryd worthe the wyghte ay, that the thy wytt refede.
c. 1400. Laud Troy Book, 6373. Waried worth hem vs hedir broght!
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 12212. Thurgh the craft of þat cursed, knighthode may shame And wary all oure workes to the worldes end.
c. 1420. Wyntoun, Cron., I. iv. 15. Adam worthit to wyn his fud Off þe erd þat warite was.
1597. Guistard & Sismond, B ij. Cursed might he be and waried eternally.
4. absol. or intr. To utter a curse or curses.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 70. Ȝe ne schulen uor none þinge ne warien, ne swerien. Ibid., 186. Ne wrekie ȝe nout ou suluen,… ne ne warien hwon me agulteð to ou.
a. 1300. E. E. Psalter lxi. 5. With þaire mouth þan blissed þai, And with þair hert þai weried ai.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 1288. And, ȝe wyuys,… werryþ nat for lytyl trespas.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 234. Þei grucchen aȝen, & cursen & warien nyȝt & day. Ibid. (1382), Matt. xxvi. 74. Thanne he began to warye and swere, that he knewe nat the man.
c. 1440. Jacob’s Well, 92. Whanne þou warowyst, chydest, betyst, & faryst as a wood man.
1501. Douglas, Pal. Hon., III. 816. Thus I remanit … Cursand the feildis with all the fair colouris, That I awolk oft wariand the quhile.
a. 1518. Skelton, Magnyf., 2238. What beggar art thou, that thus doth banne and wary.
1535. Goodly Primer, Passion, IV. Then began he to bann, to wary, & to forswear himself stiffly.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 30. The peopill began to warie and curs that evir it chanceit theme to leiwe in sick wicked and dangerous tymes.
c. 1746. J. Collier (Tim Bobbin), View Lanc. Dial. (1770), 20. He glooart awvishly ot Mezzil fease; on Mezzil fease glendurt os wrythenly ot him ogen; bot noather warrit, nor thrapt.
Hence † Warying vbl. sb.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 177. Þe oreguil and þe wraððe of kinges … þe … bringen on þe folkes heorte grete stormes … of hatienge, and on here muðe curses, and werȝinges. Ibid., 179. Ne wrec þu þe mid wussinge, ne mid warienge, ac heald me þe wrache.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 200. Þe Unicorne of Wreððe … haueð six hweolpes…. Þe veorðe is Wariunge.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter ix. 29. Cuius malediccione os plenum est,… Whas mouth is ful of weriynge & bitternes & treson.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 516/2. Waryynge, malediccio, imprecacio.
c. 1450. Mirour Saluacioun (Roxb.), 20. This Balaam thoght to hynder gods folk be werying.
1552. Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 32. It war to lange to reherse here all the malesonis waryingis or cursingis.
attrib. a. 1660. Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Archæol. Soc.), I. 286. It is verie strange how those abortiue statists,… makes noe scruple of the fearfull sworde of waringe excomunication, too often unsheathed against them.
