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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

War(e, Wair, n.¹ Also: warre, waire, vair, uair, wayr, vayr, wayer, -our, -ir, weir, wear, ward, waird. Pl. also varris, wairres. [ME and e.m.E. ware (Layamon), war (Cursor M.), warre (1422), waar (c1550), MLG, MDu. ware, ON vara.]

1. coll.Goods in general, materials, commodities; possessions; merchandise, articles for sale. Chiefly pl.Also with qualifier indicating the source or type of merchandise.See Buth n. 3, Cramery n. 2, Danskin adj., Dry ware n., Lam(e n.¹ 2 c, Lentrinware n., Litstar n. c, Litting vbl. n. b, Marchand-war(e n., Marchand-waris n. pl., Mercery n., Osmond n. b, Penny n. 9 a, Stapil(l n. 3 a for further examples.(1) sing. 1375 Barb. xix 196.
The Inglismen apon the se Distroyit … Marchand schippis that sailand war Fra Scotland till Flaundris with war c1450-2 Howlat 553 (A).
Archebald the honorable in habitaconnis, Weddit that wlonk wicht, worthy of ware a1500 Colk. Sow iii 129.
Sum of this stoir this Cokkelby did sell … And coft thairwith vther ware 1558-66 Knox I 459.
Of invy … sche asked, ‘Whair bocht ye your ware?’ 1673 Sc. N. & Q. XII 169.
I sall be leall and true to the … brugh of Innernes. Never skaith the ware, their profite for the commonwealth forsee 1681 Stair Inst. i xii § 19 (1693) 115.
Such institors are these who are intrusted with keeping of shops, buying or selling of ware, keeping of cash for exchange [etc.](b) a1500 Sir Eger 2163.
A burges had been at the fair, In merchandise selling his wair 1560 Rolland Seven S. 2870.
Befoir the hole ane twn he gart prepair Middillit with pick, birdlime, and siclike wair 1571 Sempill in Sat. P. xxviii 108.
To eik my pois I leit thame pas gude chaip; By quha sa wald, I wantit na sic wair 1572 Sat. P. xxxii 11.
With coillis and cokillis, with fische, & sicklyke wair, Upon our bakis c1600 Montg. Suppl. ix 75.
Till oppin my pak and sell no wair 1639 Aberd. B. Rec. III 189.
The prowest … discharges holding of any kynd of mercat, or selling keall, fruict or any wther sort of wair on the Sabboth day 1661 Black Sc. Witches 40.
Buter and the like waire 1669 Peebles B. Rec. II 79.
Everie traidsman … to pay each mercate … ane pettie sowme to the box-maister of the burgh wher they sell waire 1694 Peebles B. Rec. II 149.
The magistrats … discharges the thesaurer to lend the great ladder … without a pand of tuelve shilling in worth or wair(c) 1513 Treas. Acc. IV 485.
The greit schip … for xl stane of greit ward for mykkis to gunnys, boltis to … fyschis and uther boltis carvell nalis, greit and smale, of all sortis(d) 1577 Prot. Bk. J. Scott 38b.
All the saidis personeis to pas throw vtheris landis with thair wayir(e) 1598 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 15a.
For weir to our goner rome xxvi s.pl. 1550 Reg. Privy C. I 110.
But delay, to … tak the gudis and gair … and deliver the samin to the parti compleyeand, fre but ony payment thairfor in sowse, gold, or silvir, or uthiris wairis 1566 Inverness Rec. I 144.
Wayris 1567 G. Ball. 231.
Cast away ȝour wairis, ȝour princelie effairis The day of the Lord drawis neir a1578 Pitsc. II 117/11.
Ane schip of Muscowe … richlie leidnit with all kynd of coistlie wairis a1578 Pitsc. II 243/32.
Orknay butter and vthiris wairis of Orknay a1585 Polwart Flyt. 223 (T).
I want wairis [H. wairres] And sawis, to slaik thé of thy sairis 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 90/1.
Thaye bye for us the uorst uaires, & sellis thaime at the deirest pryces 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 44.
The Dutche merchandis … sellis thair vairis with unlawfull mettis … quhairbe thai ar greitlie inritchit 1605 Aberd. B. Rec. II 266.
That na schip … be sufferit to enter … with wairis or merchandice except coll and lymb 1614 Mar & Kellie MSS 71.
The wairris and commodaties that the land yeildis … Of quheit … beare and maltt [etc.] 1615 Lett. & St. P. Jas. VI 245.
The importing of waynscott, knaphult, tar and vther gross waires 1630 Aberd. Council Lett. I 338.
That they [sc. merchants] sall leive the pryces of the waireis and money at Campheir with Thomas Cunyngham … for us there 1660 Lanark B. Rec. 176.
That no comoun carier sell any sort of waires except breid, cheis, ingyones [etc.](b) 1566 Inverness Rec. I 143.
To suffer sic wayeris to cum to the said kirk, sic as pledding and small skynnis and wtheris small wayouris(c) 1597 Aberd. Council Lett. I 67.
The custuming of all warres passing owt of Scotland 1604 Rec. Old Aberd. I 34.
Meill fisches eggis or ony vther kynd of varris(2) 1534 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 144.
Ane vort stand, ane dry vair, ane vater stand 1681 Blackness Customs 20b (see Dry ware n. 1).
Warre 1536 Dunferm. Reg. Ct. 137 (see Mercat n.¹ 1 d).
Vayr 1587 Aberd. Chart. 347.
The saidis craftismen sall nocht meddle with na kynd of forane or oursie wairis 1564 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I 90.
The marchandis hawing … Franche and Flanderis wairis 1564 Prot. Bk. J. Scott 8b (see Mercat n.¹ 1 d).
Wayir 1624 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 252.
Pasmentis, laine, camrage and siclyik gildrie wair 1642 Irvine Mun. II 56.
Buyeing or selling of foraine or hammell waire 1644–5 Black Bk. Taymouth 101.
The tennants ther quholl cattell weir takine away be these enimies 1673 Leith Customs 5a.
Haberdashery waire 1703 Acts XI 111/2.
Lame purslaine and earthen ware

b. attrib. and comb. Wair almery, a cupboard for storing goods. Wair butter, etc., butter, etc. as merchandise. Wair excyse, dues paid on merchandise.(1) 1489–90 Acta Conc. I 131/1.
A met almery … a wayr almery 1534 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 144.
Gudis of ayrschip … ane schryne, ane vair almery in the boutht 1560 Stirling B. Rec. I 74.
Ane schreyn, ane wair almery 1587 Edinb. Test. XVII 161b.
Ane wair almerie with ane lang sadill bed affixt thairto 1625 Edinb. Test. LIII 114b.
Ane clois wair almrie of fir(2) 1585 Edinb. Test. XIV 211b.
He quitclames … Gilbert Ecclis … of all comptis … bigane (except this vairbutter) 1588 Waus Corr. 426.
Ane of the wair hyddis that the hird hes(3) 1685 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 203.
[For payment of the] wair excyse

2. transf.Applied more generally: A thing, person worthy of comment, stuff. Also proverb. 1460 Hay Alex. 13578.
That fenix satt with fetherane fare—In all this warld he wend nocht sic ane ware Scho was of bodie grete as ane ostrike Hir fetherame mekill was till ane pacok like 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4381.
Than sic flobbage scho layis fra hir, Abowt the wallis, God wait sic wairproverb. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 569.
Glassis and lassis are brukill wairs

3. A pillow case. Cf. Codware n.Some examples may refer to textiles more generally.(a) ?1488 Treas. Acc. I 151 (see Codware n.).
Wayris 1498–9 Acta Conc. II 297.
A petecot of rede, ane bankware, a pair of vallanse, a tepat and jakkit of vellvis 1519 Reg. Episc. Aberd. II 174.
viij coddis … part with riffin tykis and all with riffin waris 1550 Treas. Acc. IX 455.
To be waris to thir coddis, x elnis holand claith 1565 Treas. Acc. XI 388.
xxix elnis of Holand claith to be waris 1595 Brechin Test. I 128b.
Thre fedder codes with wairis 1629 Wemyss of Bogie MSS.
Fyvetein bollsteris, thirtenne beds [? erron. for cods] with thair wairs … eleven coverlaitzis [sic] 1653 Edinb. Test. LXVII 39a.
In thair merchand chope thrie packs of wair viz. ane pack of lining, ane pack of hardine … certane vther wair 1659 Melrose Reg. Rec. I 252 (see Codware n.).
Wairds 1680 Brechin Test. VII 37b.
Two cods and ther wairs 1695 Edinb. Test. LXXX 136a (see Pillou-uair n.).
Uairs 1701 Fam. Rose 390.
A cap and weirs 10 d. and 2 papers pins 1 s. 5 d.(b) 1701 Moncreiffs 391.
For two belts £2 18 s. … for wears £2 18 s.

4. Earthenware, pottery. Cf. lame ware (Lam(e n.¹ 2). Only attrib. 1729 Culross II 96.
And extinguished the ware-kilns that were burning