English word origin

Etymology of wary

From the adjective ware + -y.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

adj

Cautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, trickery, and dangers; suspiciously prudent · Characterized by caution; guarded; careful; on one's guard · thrifty, provident

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

From the adjective ware + -y.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*wer-ine-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*wer-",
        "id": "heed"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ware",
        "3": "y"
      },
      "expansion": "ware + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ware",
      "ware#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Cautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, trickery, and dangers; suspiciously prudent",
        "Characterized by caution; guarded; careful; on one's guard",
        "thrifty, provident"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To curse, revile.

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

From Middle English warien, from Old English wierġan (“to curse, do evil”), from Proto-West Germanic *wargijan, from Proto-Germanic *wargijaną (“to condemn, curse”), from Proto-Germanic *wargaz (“criminal”). Doublet of warry.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionwarienenm
Inherited-form mentionwierġanang · to curse, do evil
Inherited-form mention*wargijangmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*wargijanągem-pro · to condemn, curse
Derivation mention*wargazgem-pro · criminal
Doublet mentionwarryen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "wierġan",
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    },
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      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wargijan"
    },
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    },
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      },
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    },
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      "name": "doublet",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "warry"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of warry"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "warien",
      "warien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wierġan",
      "wiergan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*wargijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/wargijan"
    ],
    [
      "*wargijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wargijaną"
    ],
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      "*wargaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wargaz"
    ],
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      "warry",
      "warry#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To curse, revile."
      ],
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        "dialectal"
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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 wary →

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-d2FyeQ