Etymology Dictionary

WARY, WARE,  guarding against deception or danger, cautious.  (E.)   The M.E. form is war; war-y is a comparatively late formation, perhaps due to misreading the adv. warely as war-e-ly; or the -y was subjoined as in murk-y from M.E. mirke, merke.   In Meas. for Meas. iv. 1. 38.   M.E. war, Chaucer, C. T. Group A, l. 309 (Six-text ed.), misspelt ware in Tyrwhitt, l. 311.—A.S. wær, cautious, Grein, ii. 649. + Icel. varr. + Dan. and Swed. var. + Goth. wars.   Cf. O.H.G. wara, heed, caution; G. gewahr, aware.   β. All from Teut. type WARA, cautious, Fick, iii. 290.—✔WAR, to defend, take heed; whence also Skt. vri, to screen, cover, surround, var-man, armour, Gk. οὖρος, a watchman, guard ὁράω, I perceive, look out for, observe, Lat. uereri, to regard, respect, esteem, dread, Russ. vrata, a door, gate (lit. defence).   Der. wari-ly, wari-ness; a-ware, be-ware.   And see war-d, guar-d; war-n, gar-n-ish, garr-is-on; warr-ant, guar-ant-ee; ware (1); weir; re-vere, ver-y; pan-or-a-ma, di-or-a-ma.