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war·y

(wârē)

adj. war·i·er, war·i·est

1. On guard; watchful: taught to be wary of strangers.

2. Characterized by caution: a wary glance at the black clouds.

[Middle English ware, from Old English wær; see wer-³ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

wari·ly adv.

wari·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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