wer
/wer/masculine
The Old English word for husband is wer.
wer refers to a male partner in a marriage.
Meaning: male partner in marriage (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
wer is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/wer/
When do people say it?
The term wer is the linguistic root of the modern English word 'werewolf', which originally meant 'man-wolf'.
Did you know?
- While wer means 'husband' or 'man', it is a cognate of the Sanskrit word vīrà.
- While 'werewolf' is the most famous descendant, the root wer also appears in the word 'wergild', which was the 'man-price' or compensation paid to a family if a man was killed.
- In some contexts, wer was used in legal terms to describe a free man, distinguishing him from a slave.
Examples in context
- Hire wer hīe lufode.Her husband loved her.
- Eala, min wer!Oh, my husband!
Example conversation
Eadgyth is asking Osric where her husband is.
- EadgythHwǣr is mīn wer, Osric?Where is my husband, Osric?
- OsricÞīn wer is on þǣm feldum.Your husband is in the fields.
- EadgythIs hē gearu tō cumenne?Is he ready to come?
- OsricGēa, hē cymþ nū.Yes, he is coming now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “husband” translations and entries wer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
