wert

[ wurt; unstressed wert ]

/ wɜrt; unstressed wərt /

verb Archaic.

a 2nd person singular pt. indicative and subj. of be.

Nearby words

wernicke-korsakoff syndrome, wero, werra, werris, wersh, wert, wertheim's operation, wertmüller, werwolf, wes, wesak

Definition for wert (2 of 2)

be

[ bee; unstressed bee, bi ]

/ bi; unstressed bi, bɪ /

verb (used without object), present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

to exist or live: Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question.

to take place; happen; occur: The wedding was last week.

to occupy a place or position: The book is on the table.

to continue or remain as before: Let things be.

to belong; attend; befall: May good fortune be with you.

(used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject): Martha is tall. John is president. This is she.

(used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences): Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

(used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense): I am waiting.

(used with the present participle or infinitive of the principal verb to indicate future action): She is visiting there next week. He is to see me today.

(used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice): The date was fixed. It must be done.

(used in archaic or literary constructions with some intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense): He is come. Agamemnon to the wars is gone.

Origin of be

before 900; Middle English been, Old English bēon (bēo- (akin to Old Frisian, Old High German bim, German bin, Old Saxon bium, biom (I) am, Old English, Old High German, Old Saxon būan, Old Norse būa reside, Latin fuī (I) have been, Greek phy- grow, become, Old Irish boí (he) was, Sanskrit bhávati (he) becomes, is, Lithuanian búti to be, OCS byti, Persian būd was)) + -n infinitive suffix. See am, is, are¹, was, were

Can be confused

be bee

Usage note

See me.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wert

Wert thou indeed, as was related to me, the page Colin Roy Macalpin?
The Three Perils of Man, Vol. 3 (of 3)|James Hogg
What wert thou among the Bakoni dogs whom we have stamped flat?
The White Shield|Bertram Mitford
Wert thou not the very fellow whom I met at Chiffinch's yonder morning?
Peveril of the Peak|Sir Walter Scott
But thou, my love, on whose breast I have dreamed such blessed dreams, wert not to blame.
Godolphin, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

And when she saw his open, she said in a low voice, very slowly: Of what wert thou dreaming?
A Syrup of the Bees|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for wert (1 of 6)

wert

/ (wɜːt, unstressed wət) /

verb

archaic, or dialect (used with the pronoun thou or its relative equivalent) a singular form of the past tense (indicative mood) of be 1

British Dictionary definitions for wert (2 of 6)

Be

the chemical symbol for

beryllium

British Dictionary definitions for wert (3 of 6)

BE

abbreviation for

bill of exchange

(in the US) Board of Education

Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Engineering

British Dictionary definitions for wert (4 of 6)

Bé

abbreviation for

Baumé

British Dictionary definitions for wert (5 of 6)

be

/ (biː, unstressed bɪ) /

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

to have presence in the realm of perceived reality; exist; liveI think, therefore I am; not all that is can be understood

(used in the perfect or past perfect tenses only) to pay a visit; gohave you been to Spain?

to take place; occurmy birthday was last Thursday

(copula) used as a linking verb between the subject of a sentence and its noun or adjective complement or complementing phrase. In this case be expresses the relationship of either essential or incidental equivalence or identity (John is a man; John is a musician) or specifies an essential or incidental attribute (honey is sweet; Susan is angry). It is also used with an adverbial complement to indicate a relationship of location in space or time (Bill is at the office; the dance is on Saturday)

(takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tensethe man is running

(takes a past participle) forms the passive voice of all transitive verbs and (archaically) certain intransitive onesa good film is being shown on television tonight; I am done

(takes an infinitive) expresses intention, expectation, supposition, or obligationthe president is to arrive at 9.30; you are not to leave before I say so

(takes a past participle) forms the perfect or past perfect tense of certain intransitive verbs of motion, such as go or comethe last train is gone

be that as it may the facts concerning (something) are of no importance

Word Origin for be

Old English bēon; related to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, Greek phuein to bring forth, Sanskrit bhavati he is

British Dictionary definitions for wert (6 of 6)

be

the internet domain name for

Belgium

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for wert

Be

The symbol for the elementberyllium

Science definitions for wert

Be

The symbol for beryllium.

Idioms and Phrases with wert

be

In addition to the idioms beginning with be

be a credit to
be along
be big on
be bound to
be busted
bed and board
bed and breakfast
bed of roses
be down
bee in one's bonnet
been around
been had
been there, done that
been to the wars
beginning of the end, the
begin to see daylight
begin to see the light
begin with
beg off
beg the question
beg to differ
be had
be in on
be into
bell the cat, who will
be my guest
bend one's elbow
bend over backwards
bend someone's ear
be off
be on
be oneself
be on to
beside oneself
beside the point
be that as it may
be the death of
be the end of one
be the making of

also see:

let be

wert

verb Archaic.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Definition for wert (2 of 2)

be

Origin of be

Can be confused

Usage note

Examples from the Web for wert

British Dictionary definitions for wert (1 of 6)

wert

verb

British Dictionary definitions for wert (2 of 6)

Be

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for wert (3 of 6)

BE

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for wert (4 of 6)

Bé

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for wert (5 of 6)

be

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

Word Origin for be

British Dictionary definitions for wert (6 of 6)

be

the internet domain name for

Medicine definitions for wert

Be

Science definitions for wert

Be

Idioms and Phrases with wert

be