Sc. and north. Forms: 3–5 werre, 4 Sc. ver, 4–6 wer, 4–5 were, werr, worre, 6 wor, Sc. woir, 4–5 ware, 5–6 warre, 5–8 warr, 6 Sc. var, (uar), 4–9 war, 8– Sc. waur. See also WERRAR a. [a. ON. verre adj., verr adv.: see WORSE a. and adv. The spelling waur, which first appears in the 18th c., was adopted by Burns and Scott, and is now general in Scottish use.]
A. adj. = WORSE a. in all senses.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3951. To madian lond wente he [sc. Balaam] his ride, And wente is herte on werre ðhogt.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 454. Qua herd euer a warr [Gött. MS. werr] auntour. Ibid. (c. 1375), 13411 (Fairf.). Þe gode wine sulde þou first dispende & siþen drink þe worre [earlier texts wers] at hende.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 269. Thryldome is weill wer than deid.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 55. Are þei not … wert, and abhominabler þan carnal sodomits?
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 50. Sho said þatt sho sulde sende hym a war question þan owther off þe tother was.
1549. Compl. Scot., vi. 57. Thai schel fische dimuneuis and grouis les, and of ane var qualite.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 178. They pairtit war freindis nor they mett.
1578. Moysie, Mem. (Bannatyne Club), 15. They ran togither; the said Willie wes strickin to the grund and died, the vther throw the thie and litle war.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Sept., 105. They sayne the world is much war then it wont.
1584. J. Melvill, Autob. & Diary (Wodrow Soc.), 137. Quhilk is maist sacrilegius and war nor Papisticall.
1654. Z. Coke, Logick, 77. World so called of War-old, because the older it is, the War or worse it is.
1786. Burns, A Dream, iii. There’s mony waur been o’ the race, And aiblins ane been better Than you this day.
1815. Scott, Guy M., v. ‘Vanity and waur!’ said the Dominie; ‘it is a trafficking with the Evil One.’
1849. C. Brontë, Shirley, xx. 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.
† b. Father war, worse than one’s father, degenerate. Obs. Cf. ON. fǫður-verringr sb.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot. (Rolls), I. 206. And lat ws nocht be cawit fader war, Thocht we be hapnit now fra thame so far.
c. absol. (quasi-sb.) as in to get the war, to get the worst of it.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7579. Fle þat wynnes to haue þe warr, For ar i fle i sal cum nerr.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1588. Lest felle hym þe worre. Ibid., 1591. Þe worre hade þat oþer.
c. 1375. Barbour, Bruce, IX. 159. Bot thar bowmen the wer had ay.
a. 1568. Wyf Auchtermuchty, xv. in Bannatyne MS. (Hunter. Club), 345. For and we fecht I ill gett the woir.
1824. Scott, Redgauntlet, Let. x. If ye expect to be ranting among the queans o’ lasses…, ye will come by the waur.
B. adv. = WORSE adv. in all senses.
c. 1200. Ormin, 4898. And swa þu tellesst werre off þe, Swa telleþþ Drihhtin bettre.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 11900. Þai … drund him [sc. Herod] in pike and terr, And send him quar he faris werr, werr þan he fard euer ar.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xl. (Ninian), 1324. Þu sal wyt I ame of mycht ver þane þu wes þe to dycht.
c. 1440. York Myst., xxii. 54. Þer was neuere dede þat euere he dide, þat greued hym warre.
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 73. Other þatt er hongry suld com & pryk me war þan þai did.
c. 1520. Skelton, Magnyf., 923. All is out of harre, And out of trace, Ay warre and warre In euery place.
a. 1585. Montgomerie, Flyting, 280. They fand ane monstour on the morne, War facit nor ane cat.
17[?]. South-sea Song, 7, in Ramsay’s Tea-Table Miscellany (1775), I. 34. The lave will fare the war in trouth For our lang biding here.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., vi. A’ the warld kens that they maun either marry or do waur.
1828. [Carr], Craven Gloss., War and war, worse and worse.
