Obs. Forms: α. 3–5 were (5 Sc. vere), 4–5 wer (4 werr, 5 Sc. ver), 4, 5–6 Sc., weyr, (9 Sc.) weir (5 Sc. weyre, veir), 5 weere (8 Sc. weer). β. 4 wehere, 4–5 where, 5 wher, wheer. γ. 5 wyre. [Of doubtful origin, but possibly the same word as northern ME. and Sc. were, var. of ME. werre WAR sb.1, retaining the original sense of ‘confusion,’ ‘perplexity,’ which is prominent in OHG. werra, etc. The form agrees with northeastern OF. were (also weire, wiere, wyere), which is the immediate source of ME. and Sc. were ‘war.’
In R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 2126 and Rom. Rose, 5699 the use of were is suggested by guere and guerre in the French originals. Although employed by some midland and southern writers, the word is chiefly characteristic of northern texts and latterly confined to Scottish use. Except in senses 5 b, 6, and 7, it most frequently occurs in the phrase in (a) were.]
1. Danger, peril, jeopardy.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 1788. Engel wirð a-gen him cam, Als it were wopnede here, Redi to silden him fro were.
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 319. His life was alle in wehere. He bed grete catelle, his lif forto saue.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxvii. (Machar), 274. He þat quyk sawit moyses … has defendit þis barne here, þat lyk was to be in gret were.
c. 1400. Beryn, 2850. They had levir saille forth, þen put[ten] hem in were, Both lyve & goodis.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 8266. All in wer for to walt, wayueronde he sote, But he held hym on horse.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xxxvi. 1. Sen thy lyfe is ay in weir, And deid is evir drawand neir.
b. In were of, in danger of. Also Sc. in weres to (with inf.).
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 7498. Bothe were þai bold men borne to þe grene, Woundit full wickedly in wer of hor lyues. Ibid., 13901.
1412–20. Lydg., Chron. Troy, IV. 75. For outterly þei and her cyte Shal mor & mor in were of deth depende.
1804. Tarras, Poems, 42. Lums [= chimneys] in wiers to get a dird [= shock] Or downward flung.
2. A condition of trouble or distress.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 2425. Qui did þou vs þus in were, þat said þi wijf þi sister were?
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 828. He regned foure & þrytty ȝer In pes wyþouten wo & wer.
1352. Minot, Poems (ed. Hall), iii. 95. Þe Inglis men put þam to were Ful baldly, with bow and spere.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 2827. Swete speche That hath to many oon be leche To bringe hem out of woo and were.
c. 1400. Minot’s Poems (Hall), App. ii. 79. Þan sal þe land duel in were.
c. 1407. Lydg., Reson & Sens., 3061. Fro day to day most ful of moone, Solytarye, and allone, As a woman in gret wer.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., iv. 22. Adam … liffyd … In sorow and in trauell strang, And euery day he was in were.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 84. O woful wrech, that levis in to were.
b. A state of uncertainty or instability.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, vi. (Thomas), 465. Þis present lyfe Is … vndirlout to chansis sere, sa þat men liffis ay ine vere.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 8. Bot we that duelle under the mone Stonde in this world upon a weer.
c. 1400. Pety Job, 129, in 26 Pol. Poems, 125. Thus mannes tyme ys in a were; But thy tyme stondeth in oo degre.
3. Apprehension, fear, dread.
a. 1300. Sarmun, lix. in E. E. P. (1862), 7. Loke þat ȝe nab no were, for seue ȝer ȝe habbiþ to pardoun.
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 228. Þe Soudan was in wehere þe Cristen had suilk oste, Sir Edwarde’s powere ouer alle he dred moste.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, i. (Petrus), 318. Sin eftir can crist appere To petir, at wes in sic were, and sad [etc.].
a. 1400. Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903), 259. I am þi broþer, be nout in wer, be nout agast to come me ner.
1412–20. Lydg., Chron. Troy, IV. 3420. He was boþe ferful & in were, In gret dispeire and inly ful of drede. Ibid. (1426), De Guil. Pilgr., 21663. For dred off hyre, I was in were.
c. 1440. York Myst., ix. 146. Loke in and loke with-outen were.
15[?]. Colkelbie Sow, 541 (Bann. MS). Is nocht this a nyce caiss, That … in so mony dengeris, He eskapit with weris?
1808. Jamieson, s.v. Were, I haif nae weir of that, I have no fear of it, S. B.
b. A state of mental distress or trouble.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 5676. Pers … on hys dreme gan þynke, Syghyng with mornyng chere, As man þat was yn grete were.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 2686 (Fairf.). Drede of dethe doth hir so moche woo That thries doun she fele in swiche a were.
4. Perplexity; confusion of mind; doubt or uncertainty how to act or regard one’s position, etc. Also with a.
(a) 1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 81. William was in wehere, whan he herd þat tiþing.
a. 1400[?]. Hampole’s Prose Tr., 35. Be þou noghte in dowte ne in were when þou prayes or thynkes one Godd.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 13160. A myst & a merknes mynget with rayn, Þat wilt vs in were & our way lost.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xxx. 50. He vaneist away with stynk and fyrie smowk;… And I awoik as wy that wes in weir.
(b) 1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XI. 111. In a were gan I waxe and with my-self to dispute.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 107. Ha, fader, be noght in a wer: I trowe ther be noman … That halt him lasse worth thanne I To be beloved.
c. 1400. Pety Job, 129, in 26 Pol. Poems, 297. Thus he wandreth in a were As a man blynde.
c. 1407. Lydg., Reson & Sens., 2901. And thus I stood al in a rage … Wavering as in a were. Ibid. (1412–20), Chron. Troy, I. 4273. But in a were he abydynge longe, Aforn hym sawe þe myȝty Grekis stronge.
5. A (subjective) state of doubt or uncertainty with regard to the truth or reality of anything; undecidedness of belief or opinion. Const. of, what, that, etc. Also with a and pl.
(a) a. 1300. Cursor M., 7069. Her-of thar naman be in were. Ibid., 17069. All men was in dute and wer bot þou, leue hali mai!
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 306. For þei were euer in wehere,… Whilk was best banere, with þat side forto hold.
1357. Lay Folks Catech., 294. If the prest be in were [v.r. dowte] of him that sal take it [baptisme] Whethir he be baptized or he be noght.
1412–20. Lydg., Chron. Troy, III. 3993. So þat ȝe shal of no þing be in were Of al þat euere þat I seie ȝou here. Ibid. (1426), De Guil. Pilgr., 22228. I stood in a maner wher, What tokenes that it myght be, The thynges that I dyde se.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl., XXIII. 74. Fowle haue we leued many a year, and of our weninge bene in were.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, lxxii. 89. In weir that he was ȝit on lyf, Thai ran ane rude speir in his syde.
(b) c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 3513. William was in a wer þat it were him-selue.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XVI. 3. Ac ȝet I am in a were, what charite is to mene.
a. 1395. Hylton, Scala Perf., II. xi. (W. de W., 1494). Therfore they falle ofte in suche weeres and doubtes of hemself.
c. 1420. ? Lydg., Assembly of Gods, 1872. All that tyme stood I in a wyre [rhyme desyre] Whyche way furst myn hert wold yeue more To looke.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xc. 30. Sa that thi confessour be wyss and discreit, That can the discharge of every doute and weir.
b. To have no were, to be in no doubt. Also Sc. to have weres.
c. 1375. Cursor M., 12135 (Fairf.). Of þine elde we have na were; vnneþes artow of vij. ȝere.
c. 1430. Hymns Virgin (1867), 116. For of reward sche haþ no were þat þus abidiþ in charite.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, Dyrect. Bk. 80. Of ȝour moblys and all other geyr Ȝe will me serf siklyke, I haue na weyr.
1535. W. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 5. So that it be substantious of sentence In plane termis, thairof haif thow no weir.
1768. Ross, Helenore, Songs, 129. I thought ere I died to have anes made a web, But still I had weers o’ the spinning o’t.
6. The condition of being (objectively) doubtful or uncertain; a state of affairs such as to give occasion for hesitation or uncertainty; a matter of doubt.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 20794. Disput, he sais, es na mister Bituix te wis in swilk a wer. Ibid. (13[?]), 23824 (Edinb.). Þar ilke dai we se and here, we ah it noht to hald in were.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 462. Þan ys doute & grete were [v.r. weyr] To wyte where-of dremys come.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, ii. (Paul), 378. For-thy it is in wer gyff þis be paulis hewid or nocht.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 706. Ȝone is Wymond, I wait, it worthis na weir.
c. 1500[?]. Clariodus, I. 1320. Quhair-for this knicht we tuike in this maneir To save our aithes, traist weill this is no weir.
7. Often in phr. (usually introduced as a mere tag) but, forouten, out of, without were, without doubt. Also occas. with any.
(a) a. 1300. Cursor M., 2157. Arphaxat liued wit-outen were Threhundret aght and tuenti ȝere.
c. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 2296. Þan er we certayn, with-outen were, Þat at our last ende þai sal apere.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2872. Hast þou gode chere Þy faire tour to gete aȝan wyþ-oute any where.
c. 1407. Lydg., Reson & Sens., 51. To yive me drynke of her tonne, Of which she hath, with-oute wer, Couched tweyn in hir celler.
c. 1485. Digby Myst., III. 1027. With-owtyn ony wyre, þer xall ye se hym.
c. 1530. Songs, Carols, etc. (E.E.T.S.), 83. This worde was wretyn withowt were For many a man, þat shuld drede.
1552. Lyndesay, Monarche, 5288. Elie sayis, withouttin weir, The warld sall stand sax thousand ȝeir.
(b) c. 1305. Land Cokaygne, 21. I sigge for soþ, boule were, Þer nis lond on erthe is pere.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xv. (Barnabas), 70. We lat ȝow wyt, but ony ver, þat of lord criste Ihesu,… we are þe seruandis & mene.
1456. Sir G. Haye, Law Arms (S.T.S.), 109. That he is his soverane … is but were.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 499. For na gold on this ground wald I, but weir, Be fundin fals to the King.
1567. Gude & Godlie B. (S. T. S.), 37. Thay within ane lytill stound Began to myrrie be but weir.
1574. Satir. Poems Reform., xlii. 390. Thair suld be plantit throw this land At euerie Kirk … Ane Preichour at the leist but weir.
(c) 1375. Barbour, Bruce, IV. 222. Bot he wes fule, forouten weir, That gaf treuth to that Creature.
[c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 288. He will be found in his fault that wants, foroutin weir.
(d) a. 1425. Cursor M., 3799 (Trin.). He seide, oure lord out of were I wist not his wonyng here.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 230. ‘Out of weir,’ said the King, ‘I wayndit neuer to tell.’
