Present participle of an archaic form of 'wear'; gradually deteriorating or becoming exhausted through use.
From Old English werian 'to wear, carry, endure,' related to Latin vestis 'clothing.' This archaic form preserves the original pronunciation before the Great Vowel Shift changed 'wear' to its modern pronunciation.
This archaic spelling captures how dramatically English pronunciation shifted over centuries - what we now say as 'wearing' was once pronounced more like 'waring.' It's a window into how our ancestors actually spoke Shakespeare's language.
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