ware

¹

[wair]

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.

ware

²

[wair]

adjective

1. watchful, wary, or cautious.

2. aware; conscious.

verb (used with object)

wared, waring 

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

ware

³

[wair]

verb (used with object)

Scot. and North England.

wared, waring 

1. to spend; expend.

ware

⁴

[wair]

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. the first season in the year; spring.

-ware

⁵

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.

ware

¹

/ 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

ware

²

/ wɛə /

verb

1. another word for beware

adjective

1. another word for wary wise 1

ware

³

/ wɛə /

verb

1. dialect,  (tr) to spend or squander

–ware

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of –ware¹

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

Origin of –ware²

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

Origin of –ware³

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

Origin of –ware⁴

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of –ware¹

Old English waru; related to Old Frisian were, Old Norse vara, Middle Dutch Ware

Origin of –ware²

Old English wær; related to Old Saxon, Old High German giwar, Old Norse varr, Gothic war, Latin vereor. See _aware , _beware

Origin of –ware³

C15: of Scandinavian origin; related to Icelandic verja

Example Sentences

The boxes cost $50 for an assortment of pots, pans and other Le Creuset ware valued, in total, around $300.

From Salon

In Los Angeles, Crypto.com arena and the Peacock Theater have participated in reusable food ware programs, with the company r.World, since 2024.

From Los Angeles Times

In small, geographically contained settings — such as stadiums, arenas and conference centers — re-usable food ware items have been used with success.

From Los Angeles Times

She was still working through the feelings of anger and guilt when she learned her brother, Ware, had been fatally stabbed on July 5.

From Los Angeles Times

Ware, who went by Duke, was his family’s unofficial historian, setting out to map out their sprawling Portuguese and Creole roots and scouring the internet for long-lost relatives.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• commodity 
• fabric 
• merchandise 
• textile 

When To Use

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.