Re: "were"

From: Henk.Langeveld_at_holland.sun.com
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 15:08:37 +0100 (MET DST)

> Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 02:37:05 EDT
> From: ilium_at_juno.com (Stephen Martin)
> Subject: _were_ducks
>
> To All:
>
> I was not aware that the word "were" originally meant "man" -- if so,
> then I withdraw the suggestion about hsunchen. Maybe -- I guess it would
> depend on whether _Greg_ meant "were" as "man" or "were" as "the first
> part of werewolf".
>
> Can anyone tell me the linguistic origin of this word, or any modern day
> words (besides werewolf, etc.) which we can relate it to? Although not an
> exact science, linguistics is one of the best tools for studying
> Glorantha, IMO.

    http://work.ucsd.edu:5141/cgi-bin/http_webster?Were says: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Definition for Were from database web1913 (web1913)

Were \Were\ (w[=e]r), n. [AS. wer; akin to OS. & OHG. wer, Goth. wa['i]r, L. vir, Skr. v[=i]ra. Cf. Weregild, and Werewolf.] 1. A man. [Obs.]

2. A fine for slaying a man; the money value set upon a man's life; weregild. [Obs.]

Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was called his were. - --Bosworth.
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AS=Anglo-Saxon
L.=Latin
Skr.=Sanskrit

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