English

Alternative forms

• were

Noun

wer ‎(plural wers)

1. (obsolete) A man.
2. (obsolete) Wergeld.

Related terms

• werewolf
• wergeld
• world

Cornish

Adjective

wer

1. Soft mutation of gwer.

German

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷis. Related to wo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /veːɐ̯/, /vɛɐ̯/
• Homophone: Wehr
• Rhymes: -eːɐ̯

Pronoun

wer

1. (interrogative) who

   Wer hat das gesagt? – Who said that?

2. (interrogative, colloquial) what (see usage notes)
3. (indefinite, colloquial) somebody, someone

   Da ist wer an der Tür. – There's somebody at the door.

Usage notes

• (what): In colloquial German, wer and its forms may be used in reference to things. This is often done when asking about a noun whose gender one knows to be masculine or feminine. For example: Kannst du mir mal den Dings rübergeben? – Wen? (“Could you pass me the thingamabob?” – “Pass what?”) In this case, the interrogative mirrors the gender of the noun one asks about.
• (someone): The colloquial wer meaning “someone” cannot usually be the first word in a sentence, because it could be misinterpreted as an interrogative in this position. The only exception is when it is followed by a nominalized adjective: Wer Neues ist in die Mannschaft gekommen. – “Someone new joined the team.”

Inflection

• N: wer
• G: wessen
• D: wem
• A: wen

Synonyms

• (indefinite, colloquial): jemand, einer

Related terms

• irgendwer
• wer da
• Werdaruf
• Werfall
• Wemfall
• Wenfall

Kurdish

Adverb

wer

1. so

Kuri

Noun

wer

1. water

Reference

• Cornelis L. Voorhoeve, Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist (1975, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics), page 123

Meriam

Noun

wer

1. egg
2. testicle
3. star

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English wer, compare Old Norse verr

Noun

wer (plural wers)

1. a man, a husband
2. Alternative spelling of war

Verb

wer

1. were

Ndom

Noun

wer

1. water

Reference

• Oceanic linguistics, volumes 20 à 21, University Press of Hawaii, page 129, 1981

Old English

twēġen weras

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *weraz, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós ‎(“freeman”). Germanic cognates include Old Frisian wer, Old Saxon wer, Old High German wer, Old Norse verr, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂 ‎(waír). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Latin vir, Sanskrit वीर ‎(vīrá), Old Irish fer (Welsh gŵr), Lithuanian vyras.

Noun

wer m

1. man
2. husband
3. (poetic) hero

Declension

Derived terms

• werwulf, werewulf
• wereald, woruld, worold

Descendants

• Middle English: wer

Etymology 2

From werian.

Noun

wer m ‎(nominative plural weras)

1. weir

Old High German

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *weraz, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós. Cognate with Old English wer and Old Norse verr.

Noun

wer m

1. man

Derived terms

• weralt
• werwulf

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *warją

Noun

wer n

1. dam, weir

Descendants

• German: Wehr
• Italian: gora

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *weraz, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós. Cognate with Old English wer and Old Norse verr.

Noun

wer m

1. man
2. hero

Declension

Derived terms

• werold
• werwulf

Descendants

• warwulf
• werld

Selaru

Noun

wer

1. water

References

• Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary