English
warely
Warely comes from Old English wærlice ‘warily, cautiously’, from Proto-West Germanic *war ‘aware, alert, on guard’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to heed’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-‘to heed’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*worós‘attentive’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*waraz‘cautious’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*war‘aware, alert, on guard’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wær‘cautious’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150wærlice‘warily, cautiously’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wareli
- Englishearliest quotation 1526warely
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-‘to heed’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*worós‘attentive’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*waraz‘cautious’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*war‘aware, alert, on guard’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wær‘cautious’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150wærlice‘warily, cautiously’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wareli
- Englishearliest quotation 1526warely
Earliest quotation: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “He that betrayed hym / gave them a generall…”
Formed from ware + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to watch, keep guard’
Proto-Germanic *warō ‘attention’
Proto-West Germanic *waru
Old English waru
Middle English ware
English ware
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to heed’
wear, guard, con, garage, regard, ward, worm, verge, optic, weir, garrison, warn, panorama, reverence, beware, vermin, wry, malware, revere, vermilion, firmware, prosaic, diorama, guaranty, milliner, vermeil, vermiculite, vermicelli, varmint, freeware, shareware, 64 more
Today it means
adv Watchfully; with caution.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wer- / warely