ware

¹ American  

[wair] / wɛər /

noun

1. Usually wares

   1. articles of merchandise or manufacture; goods.

      a peddler selling his wares.

   2. any intangible items, as services or products of artistic or intellectual creativity, that are saleable.

      an actor advertising his wares.

2. a specified kind or class of merchandise or of manufactured article (usually used in combination).

   silverware;

   glassware.

3. pottery, or a particular kind of pottery.

   delft ware.

4. Archaeology. a group of ceramic types classified according to paste and texture, surface modification, as burnish or glaze, and decorative motifs rather than shape and color.

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ware ² American  

[wair] / wɛər /

verb (used with object)

Scot. and North England.

wared, waring

1. to spend; expend.

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-ware ³ American  

1. a combining form extracted from software, occurring as the final element in words that refer to a specified kind or class of software.

   spyware;

   shareware.

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ware ⁴ American  

[wair] / wɛər /

adjective

1. watchful, wary, or cautious.

2. aware; conscious.

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verb (used with object)

wared, waring

1. to beware of (usually used in the imperative).

ware ⁵ American  

[wair] / wɛər /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. the first season in the year; spring.

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ware ¹ British  

/ wɛə /

verb

1. dialect (tr) to spend or squander

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ware ² British  

/ wɛə /

verb

1. another word for beware

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adjective

1. another word for wary wise 1

ware ³ British  

/ wɛə /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) articles of the same kind or material

   glassware

   silverware

2. porcelain or pottery of a specified type

   agateware

   jasper ware

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–ware Scientific  

1. A suffix that means “software,” as in shareware.

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Usage

What does -ware mean? The combining form -ware is used like a suffix meaning “software,” a program used to direct a computer. It is occasionally used in technical terms, especially in computer science.The form -ware comes from the word software. The word software itself was coined around 1955 to contrast with hardware, a much older term used to refer to mechanical equipment. Learn more at our entry for hardware.

Etymology

Origin of ware¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English waru; cognate with German Ware

Origin of ware¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse verja “to spend, invest”

Origin of ware¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective; Old English adjective wær; cognate with German gewahr “aware,” Old Norse varr “aware”

Origin of ware¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old Norse vār “spring”; perhaps akin to Latin vēr, Greek éar “spring”; vernal

Example Sentences

This fact was uncovered by the journalist John Ware.

From BBC

For the chief constable of Northern Ireland to be at loggerheads with MI5 is "unprecedented" says veteran investigative journalist, John Ware, who has reported on the Troubles since the 1970s.

From BBC

Tyler Herro scored 24 points and Kel'el Ware added 20 points and 18 rebounds to ignite Miami in a 106-102 home triumph over Dallas, which boosted the Heat to 12-6 with their fifth win in a row.

From Barron's

Miami's Norman Powell scored 32 points and Kel'el Ware added 20 points and 16 rebounds to spark the Heat's 127-117 home victory over Philadelphia.

From Barron's

The enormous amount of celadon ware found, including dishes, vases, pictures, and a huge number of exquisite celadon figurines, the likes of which had never been seen before, was extraordinary.

From Literature

Related Words

• commodity
• fabric
• merchandise
• textile