| v. t. & i. | 1. | To wear. See 3d Wear. |
| n. | 1. | A weir. See Weir. |
| v. t. | 1. | To guard; to protect. |
| 1. | The imperfect indicative plural, and imperfect subjunctive singular and plural, of the verb be. See Be. | |
| n. | 1. | |
| 1. | A man. | |
| 2. | A fine for slaying a man; the money value set upon a man's life; weregild. |
WERE. The name of a fine among the Saxons imposed upon a murderer.
2. The life of every man, not excepting that of the king himself, was
estimated at a certain price, which was called the were, or vestimatio
capitis. The amount varied according to the dignity of the person murdered.
The price of wounds was also varied according to the nature of the wound, or
the member injured.