Were
Were , verb, transitive and intransitive
Were , noun
Were , transitive verb
[Anglo-Saxon werian.]
To guard; to protect. [Obsolete] — Chaucer
Were (wẽr; 277)
[Anglo-Saxon ware (thou) wast, waron (we, you, they) were, ware imp. subj. See Was.]
The imperfect indicative plural, and imperfect subjunctive singular and plural, of the verb be. See Be.
Were (wēr) , noun
[Anglo-Saxon wer; akin to Old Saxon & Old High German wer, Gothic waír, Latin vir, Sanskrit vīra. Compare Weregild, and Werewolf.]
1.
A man. [Obsolete]
2.
A fine for slaying a man; the money value set upon a man's life; weregild. [Obsolete]
Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was called his were.