α. late Middle English warre, late Middle English wer; Scottish pre-1700 uar, pre-1700 var, pre-1700 wair, pre-1700 ware, pre-1700 warre, pre-1700 wer, pre-1700 1700s–1900s war, 1700s warr, 1700s– waur.
β. Scottish pre-1700 uor.
waurv.
/wɔː/, /wɑː/, U.S. /wɔr/, /wɑr/, Scottish English /wɔr/, /war/ Chiefly Scottish.
transitive. To defeat in a contest or competition; to surpass, excel.In quot. 1721 with reference to the proverb ‘If you're born to be hanged you will never be drowned’; cf. widdie n. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)] > overcome or defeat
shendc893
overwinOE
overheaveOE
mate?c1225
to say checkmatea1346
vanquishc1366
stightlea1375
outrayc1390
to put undera1393
forbeat1393
to shave (a person's) beardc1412
to put to (also at, unto) the (also one's) worsec1425
adawc1440
supprisec1440
to knock downc1450
to put to the worsta1475
waurc1475
convanquish1483
to put out1485
trima1529
convince1548
foil1548
whip1571
evict1596
superate1598
reduce1605
convict1607
defail1608
cast1610
banga1616
evince1620
worst1646
conquer1655
cuffa1657
trounce1657
to ride down1670
outdo1677
routa1704
lurcha1716
fling1790
bowl1793
lick1800
beat1801
mill1810
to row (someone) up Salt River1828
defeat1830
sack1830
skunk1832
whop1836
pip1838
throw1850
to clean out1858
take1864
wallop1865
to sock it to1877
whack1877
to clean up1888
to beat out1893
to see off1919
to lower the boom on1920
tonk1926
clobber1944
ace1950
to run into the ground1955
c1475 ( J. Hardyng Chron. (Harl.) (1812) 210 The which [sc. a feat of strength]..He perfourmed.., that neuer maibe werde.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid v. iii. 100 And now hes Pristis the fordaill, and syne, in hy, The big Centaur hir warris, and slippis by [L. nunc victam præterit ingens].
1570 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xii. 53 Fecht weill and war yame and wyn the ryches yair, And gif ȝe de, in deid ȝe neid na mair.
a1585 P. Hume Flyting with Montgomerie (Tullibardine) viii. l. 37 in Poems A. Montgomerie (2000) I. 169 Grant, guis, þat my inventioun waris the than, Without þe quhilk þow micht haue barkit waist.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 13 Wigtoune waris the vthir 2 baith in citizenis and riches.
a1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 157 Thay debeitit manfullie and wareit edwartis wangard.
a1614 J. Melville Autobiogr. & Diary (1842) 154 And, on the uther part, Mr. Andro, wha warred him far in credit without the contrey..wrot unto the Kirks at lainthe.
a1650 D. Calderwood Hist. Kirk Scotl. (1845) VI. 395 They have beene oftin wearier and warred by the patience of the sancts.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 304 The Water will never warr the Widdie.
1787 R. Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook xiii, in Poems (new ed.) 59 And mony a scheme in vain's been laid, To stap or scar me; Till ane Hornbook's ta'en up the trade, And faith, he'll waur me.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. ix. 199 It was a paper of great significance to the plea, and we were to be waured for want o't.
1877 ‘Saxon’ Galloway Gossip Sixty Years Ago 51 I thocht nae woman could waur me in a bargain.
1922 Swatches o' Hamespun 56 A weel-fa'ard kibble deemie, nae ferlie a' the callants in her ken wud nearlins warred the widdie for her.
1987 B. Holton tr. S. Nai'an Men o the Mossflow ii, in Sc. Corpus Texts & Speech Gin Chen Da hissel wis waurit, whit wey wad you daunton the man?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
wauradv.adj.n.
/wɔː/, /wɑː/, U.S. /wɔr/, /wɑr/, Scottish English /wɔr/, /war/α. Middle English ware, Middle English warr, Middle English wer, Middle English were, Middle English werr, Middle English werre, Middle English–1500s warre, Middle English–1600s war; English regional (chiefly northern and north midlands) 1800s var, 1800s waar, 1800s war, 1800s warr, 1800s warre (northern and Devon), 1800s waur, 1900s– wahr (Yorkshire); Scottish pre-1700 uar, pre-1700 var, pre-1700 ver, pre-1700 vere, pre-1700 wair, pre-1700 warre, pre-1700 weire, pre-1700 were, pre-1700 1700s–1800s war, pre-1700 1700s–1900s warr, pre-1700 1700s– waur, pre-1700 1800s ware, pre-1700 1800s werr, pre-1700 1800s– wer, 1700s 1900s– waar, 1900s waer; Irish English (northern) 1800s– waur, 1900s– waar, 1900s– war.
β. Chiefly north-western and north-west midlands Middle English wor, Middle English wore, Middle English worre; English regional (Lancashire and Cheshire) 1800s wor, 1800s worre, 1800s wur, 1800s wurr; Scottish pre-1700 vor, pre-1700 woir, pre-1700 wor, pre-1700 worr, 1900s woare; Irish English 1800s wor, 1900s– wor' (northern).
Scottish and English regional (northern) after Middle English.
A. adv.
= worse adv. (in all senses).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [adverb] > more or most
worseeOE
worsteOE
waurc1175
worser1573
the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [adverb]
worseeOE
waurc1175
downhilla1398
downwarda1400
worser1547
bastardlike1563
degenerously1627
degenerately1645
witheringly1815
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > [adverb] > more
worseOE
waurc1175
worserer1804
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 4898 & swa þu tellesst werre off þe Swa telleþþ drihhtin bettre.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11900 Þai..drund him [sc. Herod] in pike and terr, And send him quar he faris werr,—Werr þan he fard euer ar.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 180 (MED) Þer was neuere dede þat euere he dide, þat greued hym warre.
c1480 (a1400) St. Ninian 1324 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 342 Þu sal wyt I ame of mycht ver þane þu wes þe to dycht.
a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Ciii All is out of harre, and out of trace Ay warre and warre, in euery place.
a1585 A. Montgomerie Flyting with Polwart (Tullibardine) in Poems (2000) I. 144 They fand ane monstour on the morne War facit nor ane cat.
a1628 J. Carmichaell Coll. Prov. in Scots (1957) No. 485 Evill win and war waired.
1724 A. Ramsay Tea-table Misc. (new ed.) I. 58 The lave will fare the war in Trouth, For our lang biding here.
1816 W. Scott Old Mortality vi, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. II. 136 A' the warld kens that they maun either marry or do waur.
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) War and war, worse and worse.
1894 D. MacLeod Past Worthies 127 If ye're gaun to dee sune ye micht do waur than arrange that ye should be buried here.
1924 Edinb. Evening News 24 Dec. 4 I think I micht dae waur Nor lea' the door agee.
1928 N. Shepherd Quarry Wood in Grampian Quartet (2001) xvii. 196 Ye micht dae a lot waur nor gie the bairn a shog alang.
1934 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ in ‘L. G. Gibbon’ & ‘H. MacDiarmid’ Scottish Scene iv. i. 169 He'd been a bonny nickem frae his earliest days And aye got the waur the aulder he'd be!
1990 J. A. Begg in J. A. Begg & J. Reid Dipper & Three Wee Deils 112 O aa the folk in Britain, Why is it aye that I am smitten Waur than the lave?
B. adj.
= worse adj. (in all senses).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [adjective] > worse or worst (of state of affairs)
worseeOE
worsteOE
waura1325
worsen1634
worstest1768
society > morality > moral evil > [adjective] > worse
worseOE
waura1325
worser1548
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > [adjective] > harmful or injurious > more
worseeOE
waura1325
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3951 To madian lond wente he [sc. Balaam] his ride, And wente is herte on werre ðhogt.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 13411 Þe gode wine fulde [Vesp. suld] þou first dispende & siþen drink þe worre [Vesp. wers] at hende.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 50 (MED) Sho said þatt sho sulde sende hym a war question þan owther off þe tother was.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. l. 269 Thryldome is weill wer yan deid.
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 45 Thai schel fische dimuneuis and grouis les and of ane var qualite.
1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 108 They sayne the world is much war then it wont.
a1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 178 They pairtit war freindis nor they mett.
c1600 D. Moysie Mem. Affairs Scotl. (1830) 15 They ran togither; the said Willie wes strickin to the grund and died, the vther throw the thie and litle war.
a1614 J. Melville Autobiogr. & Diary (1842) 187 Quhilk is maist sacrilegius and war nor Papisticall.
1654 Z. Coke Art of Logick 77 World so called of War-old, because the older it is, the War or worse it is.
1786 R. Burns Poems 81 There's monie waur been o' the Race, And aiblins ane been better Than you this day.
1849 C. Brontë Shirley II. ix. 215 We're no war nor some 'at is aboon us; are we?
1883 Longman's Mag. Nov. 72 Losh me! it's just waur than useless the day whativer.
1913 H. P. Cameron tr. Thomas à Kempis Of Imitation of Christ i. xi. 16 Unlearn a' ill-laits least they airt ye intil waur diffeekwalties.
1969 New Shetlander No. 28. 12 Der somethin at's wer as da Saxon rover.
2000 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) 11 June (Seven Days section) 9/3 The Scottish legal system would be nane the waur o' modernisation.
C. n.
= worse n. 1, worse n. 3. In early use frequently in to get (also have) the waur: to get the worst of it; cf. to have (also get) the worse at worse adj. and n. Phrases 2b.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defeat > be defeated [verb (intransitive)]
to have (also get) the worsec1275
leesec1300
to lick the dust, the earth1382
to get (also have) the waura1393
to go downa1400
to go away (also flee) with the worsea1413
to have the worsta1470
to go to (also unto) the worse1485
to go by the worse (also worst)1528
to have the overthrow1536
lose1548
tine1681
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 1646 (MED) Who mai to love make a werre That he ne hath himself the werre?
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 7579 Fle þat wynnes to haue þe warr, For ar i fle i sal cum nerr.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1588 Lest felle hym þe worre.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) ix. 159 Bot thar bowmen the wer had ay.
1568 Wyf of Auchtirmwchty 116 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 345 For and we fecht I ill gett the woir.
a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. l. 20310 Than tha misknaw God and Fortoun so far, Na wounder is suppois tha get the war.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 351 War, and mair o't.
1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering I. v. 81 ‘Vanity and waur,’ said the Dominie; ‘it is a trafficking with the Evil One.’
1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet I. x. 215 If ye expect to be ranting amang the queans o' lasses..ye will come by the waur.
1901 Shetland News 17 Aug. Hit's a gude job 'at doo kens wha doo's spaekin' till, an' at William taks nae waur wi' dee.
1952 Buchan Observer 11 Mar. Came there ‘waur on waur's back’.
2001 R. Fairnie Wee Scran o Herrin (SCOTS) The'r some o thaim'll try an screw ye doon tae a hap'ny or waur but dinnae you gie intae thaim.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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v.c1475
adv.adj.n.c1175- well-ruled
- well-ruling
- well-run
- well-running
- well-sailing
- well-sanded
- well-saved
- well-savouring
- well-saying
- well-scented
- well-schemed
- well-scraped
- well-scribed
- well-scrubbed
- well-seasoned
- well-seated
- well-seeing
- well-seeming
- well-selected
- well-selling
- well-served
- well-set
- well-set-up
- well-settled
- well-shading