*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -wear

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wes- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *woséyeti Proto-Germanic *wazjaną Proto-West Germanic *waʀjan Old English werian Middle English weren En

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

worn by a particular sex (e.g., menswear, womenswear) or age of person (e.g., kidswear). · worn on a particular part of the body (e.g., neckwear). · for a particular use (e.g., daywear). · made in a particular way (e.g., knitwear) or (redundantly) of a particular kind (e.g., shoewear).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wes- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *woséyeti Proto-Germanic *wazjaną Proto-West Germanic *waʀjan Old English werian Middle English weren English wear English -wear From the noun wear (“clothing”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "wear<id:clothing>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *wes-\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Indo-European *woséyeti\nProto-Germanic *wazjaną\nProto-West Germanic *waʀjan\nOld English werian\nMiddle English weren\nEnglish wear\nEnglish -wear\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*wazjaną\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*waʀjan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"werian\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"weren\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"wear\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-wear\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-wear\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "wear<id:clothing>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *wes-\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Indo-European *woséyeti\nProto-Germanic *wazjaną\nProto-West Germanic *waʀjan\nOld English werian\nMiddle English weren\nEnglish wear\nEnglish -wear"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*wes-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wes-#Proto-Indo-European:_dress"
    ],
    [
      "*-yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yeti#Proto-Indo-European:_forming_verbs"
    ],
    [
      "*-éyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éyeti"
    ],
    [
      "*woséyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/woséyeti"
    ],
    [
      "*wazjaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wazjaną"
    ],
    [
      "*waʀjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/waʀjan"
    ],
    [
      "werian",
      "werian#Old_English:_wear"
    ],
    [
      "weren",
      "weren#Middle_English:_to_wear"
    ],
    [
      "wear",
      "wear#English:_clothing"
    ],
    [
      "wear",
      "wear#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "worn by a particular sex (e.g., menswear, womenswear) or age of person (e.g., kidswear).",
        "worn on a particular part of the body (e.g., neckwear).",
        "for a particular use (e.g., daywear).",
        "made in a particular way (e.g., knitwear) or (redundantly) of a particular kind (e.g., shoewear)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "2e12f470ddf0176dfc40000e4fce324add3d4bab401c81b0fa06a27cc889395b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "df4dc345a813e2c93b6b1273b4794c7f3fdc292730a53ec83f37ca7b4f4e8fe9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 429059
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -wear →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LXdlYXI