wert
English
Pronunciation
(stressed)
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /wɜːt/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /wɝt/
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t
(unstressed)
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /wət/
Verb
wert
- (archaic) second-person singular simple past indicative of be
- Synonym: wast
- Why wert thou there?
- 1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, To A Skylark, (first two lines of ode),
- "Hail to thee, blithe Spirit! Bird thou never wert, ..."
- (archaic) second-person singular simple past subjunctive of be
- Synonym: were
- If thou wert mine, I would be in heaven!
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 8:6:
- If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, ...
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 3:15:
- I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
References
- “wert”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- “wert”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
See also
Anagrams
German
Alternative forms
- werth (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle High German wert, from Old High German werd, from Proto-Germanic *werþaz. See the English cognate worth for more.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /veːrt/, [veːɐ̯t] (standard)
- IPA(key): /vɛrt/, [vɛɐ̯t] (equally common)
Audio (Germany (Berlin)): (file)
Adjective
wert (strong nominative masculine singular werter, comparative werter, superlative am wertesten)
- worth, worthy of [with accusative or (higher register) genitive ‘something’]
- Gold(es) wert sein ― to be worth gold/worth its weight in gold
- Das ist die Mühe nicht wert. ― That's not worth the effort.
- Sie fand es nicht der Mühe wert. ― She didn't find it worth the effort.
- Der Wein ist seinen Preis wert. ― The wine is worth its price.
- Er ist die ganze Aufmerksamkeit nicht wert, die er bekommt. ― He's not worthy of all the attention he gets.
- (higher register) worthy of [with genitive ‘someone’]
- Synonym: würdig
- Das ist meiner nicht wert. ― That’s below my dignity.
- (formal) dear
- Werte Gäste, ... ― Dear guests, ...
Usage notes
- In older usage, wert was generally construed with a genitive object. This is now restricted to elevated style or fixed expressions, for example: Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist des Talers nicht wert. — “Who doesn't honour the penny, isn't worthy of the dollar.” (An equivalent expression is “A penny saved is a penny earned”.)
- The genitive case is preferred when the object of wert is a person (or a group, organization, etc.). However, this usage is quite rare and würdig is more common instead.
Declension
Positive forms of wert
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist wert | sie ist wert | es ist wert | sie sind wert | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | werter | werte | wertes | werte |
| genitive | werten | werter | werten | werter | |
| dative | wertem | werter | wertem | werten | |
| accusative | werten | werte | wertes | werte | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der werte | die werte | das werte | die werten |
| genitive | des werten | der werten | des werten | der werten | |
| dative | dem werten | der werten | dem werten | den werten | |
| accusative | den werten | die werte | das werte | die werten | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein werter | eine werte | ein wertes | (keine) werten |
| genitive | eines werten | einer werten | eines werten | (keiner) werten | |
| dative | einem werten | einer werten | einem werten | (keinen) werten | |
| accusative | einen werten | eine werte | ein wertes | (keine) werten | |
Comparative forms of wert
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist werter | sie ist werter | es ist werter | sie sind werter | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | werterer | wertere | werteres | wertere |
| genitive | werteren | werterer | werteren | werterer | |
| dative | werterem | werterer | werterem | werteren | |
| accusative | werteren | wertere | werteres | wertere | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der wertere | die wertere | das wertere | die werteren |
| genitive | des werteren | der werteren | des werteren | der werteren | |
| dative | dem werteren | der werteren | dem werteren | den werteren | |
| accusative | den werteren | die wertere | das wertere | die werteren | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein werterer | eine wertere | ein werteres | (keine) werteren |
| genitive | eines werteren | einer werteren | eines werteren | (keiner) werteren | |
| dative | einem werteren | einer werteren | einem werteren | (keinen) werteren | |
| accusative | einen werteren | eine wertere | ein werteres | (keine) werteren | |
Superlative forms of wert
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
Middle Dutch
Etymology 1
From Old Dutch *wert, *wirt, from Proto-Germanic *werduz.
Noun
wert m
Inflection
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | wert | werde |
| accusative | wert | werde |
| genitive | werts | werde |
| dative | werde | werden |
Alternative forms
Descendants
- Dutch: waard
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
wert
- inflection of werden:
- third-person singular present indicative
- second-person plural present indicative/subjunctive
- singular/plural imperative
Further reading
- “wert (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “wert (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
Middle English
Etymology 1
Noun
wert
- alternative form of wort (“plant”)
Etymology 2
Noun
wert
- alternative form of vert
Adjective
wert
- alternative form of vert
Etymology 3
Noun
wert
- alternative form of warte
Middle High German
Etymology
Inherited from Old High German werd, from Proto-Germanic *werþaz.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (before 13th CE) /ˈwɛrt/
Adjective
wërt (adverb wërde)
- worthy, valuable, noble
- 13th c., Neidhart von Reuental, Meie dīn liechter schīn:
- Hôchgemuot, dar zuo fruot
ist an jungem manne guot,
dër vor schanden ist behuot
und daȥ beste gërne tuot:
dën begiuȥet sælden fluot,
minnet wërdiu wîp.- Smart and noble, happy and proud,
That suits a young man,
Who keeps himself from shame
And the best likes to do:
The happiness floods him in streams,
the noble lady loves him.
- Smart and noble, happy and proud,
Declension
| singular | plural | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | nonneuter | neuter | ||
| strong declension | nominative | wërder | wërdiu | wërdeȥ | wërde | wërdiu |
| genitive | wërdes | wërder(e) | wërdes | wërder(e) | ||
| dative | wërdem(e) | wërder(e) | wërdem(e) | wërden | ||
| accusative | wërden | wërde | wërdeȥ | wërde | wërdiu | |
| weak declension | nominative | dër wërde | diu wërde | daȥ wërde | die wërden | diu wërden |
| genitive | dës wërden | dër wërden | dës wërden | dër wërden | ||
| dative | dëm wërden | dër wërden | dëm wërden | dën wërden | ||
| accusative | dën wërden | die wërden | daȥ wërde | die wërden | diu wërden | |
Noun
wërt
Declension
Descendants
- Cimbrian: bèart
- German: wert, Wert
- Hunsrik: Weert
- Luxembourgish: wäert
- Yiddish: ווערט (vert), ווערד (verd)
References
- Benecke, Georg Friedrich; Müller, Wilhelm; Zarncke, Friedrich (1863), “wërt”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel
- "wërt" in Köbler, Gerhard, Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch (3rd edition 2014)
Northern Kurdish
Noun
wert ?
Old English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wert/, [werˠt]
Noun
wert f (late Kentish)
- alternative form of wyrt
Declension
Strong i-stem:
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | wert | werte, werta |
| accusative | wert, werte | werte, werta |
| genitive | werte | werta |
| dative | werte | wertum |
Silesian
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈvɛrt/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -ɛrt
- Syllabification: wert
Noun
wert m inan
Further reading
- wert in silling.org
Wolof
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wɛrt/
Verb
wert
- to be green
Conjugation
| present | imperfect | pluperfect | future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | damay wert | dama doon wert | wertoon naa | dinaa wert |
| 2nd person singular | dangay wert | danga doon wert | wertoon nga | dinga wert |
| 3rd person singular | dafay wert | dafa doon wert | wertoon na | dina wert |
| 1st person plural | dañuy wert | dañu doon wert | wertoon nañu | dinañu wert |
| 2nd person plural | dangeen wert | dangeen doon wert | wertoon ngeen | dingeen wert |
| 3rd person plural | deñuy wert | deñu doon wert | wertoon nañu | dinañu wert |
| imperative | ||||
| singular | wertal! | |||
| plural | wertleen! | |||