Wear
/wɛr/noun
To have clothing or accessories on your body, or to become damaged gradually through use.
Did you know?English wear comes from Old English werian, meaning “to clothe, cover, or defend,” and it shares an ancient root with words about guarding and carrying, not just fashion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“to cover, protect, or guard”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*warjaną
“to defend, protect”
Old English
English
werian
“to clothe, cover, or defend”
Middle English
English
weren
“to wear clothing; to carry on the body”
Modern English
English
wear
“to have clothing or accessories on the body; to erode through use”