Etymograph

English

aware

Aware comes from Middle English aware, from Old English ġewær, from Proto-West Germanic *gawar.

  1. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gawar1‘aware’reconstructed
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150ġewær1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aware1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1799aware1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English aware
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1799, William Earle, Junior: “Conſcience is the director of all our actions, and…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gawarWiktionary, English aware‘aware’reconstructed
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150ġewærWiktionary, English aware
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500awareWiktionary, English aware
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1799awareWiktionary, English aware. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1799, William Earle, Junior: “Conſcience is the director of all our actions, and…”

Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *gawar

Today it means

adj Vigilant or on one's guard against danger or difficulty.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “aware”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *gawar / aware

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