The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Were \Were\, v. t. & i.
To wear. See 3d Wear. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Were \Were\, n.
A weir. See Weir. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Sir P. Sidney.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Were \Were\, v. t. [AS. werian.]
To guard; to protect. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Were \Were\ (w[~e]r; 277). [AS. w[=ae]re (thou) wast, w[=ae]ron
(we, you, they) were, w[=ae]re imp. subj. See Was.]
The imperfect indicative plural, and imperfect subjunctive
singular and plural, of the verb be. See Be.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Were \Were\ (w[=e]r), n. [AS. wer; akin to OS. & OHG. wer, Goth.
wa['i]r, L. vir, Skr. v[imac]ra. Cf. Weregild, and
Werewolf.]
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1. A man. [Obs.]
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2. A fine for slaying a man; the money value set upon a man's
life; weregild. [Obs.]
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Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was
called his were. --Bosworth.
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Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):
WERE. The name of a fine among the Saxons imposed upon a murderer.
2. The life of every man, not excepting that of the king himself, was
estimated at a certain price, which was called the were, or vestimatio
capitis. The amount varied according to the dignity of the person murdered.
The price of wounds was also varied according to the nature of the wound, or
the member injured.