Etymograph

English

wary

From the adjective ware + -y.

Formed from ware + -y

Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to watch, keep guard’

Proto-Germanic *warō ‘attention’

Proto-West Germanic *waru

Old English waru

Middle English ware

English ware

Another origin of wary

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*werǵʰ-‘to turn, twist, press, constrict, strangle’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wargaz‘criminal’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wargijaną‘to condemn, curse’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wargijan‘to condemn’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150wierġan‘to curse, do evil’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500warien
  7. Englishtodaywary

Today it means

adj Cautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, trickery, and dangers; suspiciously prudent

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “wary”. 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 / wary

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