vara

See also: Appendix:Variations of "vara"

Languages (33)

English

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English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese vara (“rod”), from Latin vāra (“fork”).

Noun

vara (plural varas)

1. (historical) A traditional Spanish unit of length, equivalent to about 83.7 cm.

   Synonyms: Spanish rod, Spanish ell, Spanish yard, (Spanish contexts) rod, ell, yard

   Coordinate terms: (¹⁄₈ vara) coto, (¹⁄₄ vara) palmo, (¹⁄₃ vara) pie, (¹⁄₂ vara) codo, (1+²⁄₃ pies) Spanish pace, estado, braza, (2 varas) toesa, (4 varas) estadal, (50 varas) cordel, (5,000 varas) legua

   • 1849, Josiah Gregg, chapter 1, in Commerce Of The Prairies‎^[1], J.W. Moore, page 21:

     At such exorbitant rates, common calicoes, and even bleached and brown domestic goods, sold as high as two and three dollars per vara (or Spanish yard of thirty-three inches).

2. (historical) A traditional Portuguese unit of length, equivalent to about 1.1 m.

   Synonyms: Portuguese rod, Portuguese ell, Portuguese yard, (Portuguese contexts) rod, ell, yard

   Coordinate terms: (¹⁄₄₀ vara) polegada, (¹⁄₅ vara) palmo, (³⁄₁₀ vara) Portuguese foot, (³⁄₅ vara) covado, (English equivalents to the vara) yard, rod, ell, (1+¹⁄₂ varas) passo, (1+⁴⁄₅ varas) toesa, (2 varas) braça

3. (historical) A traditional Spanish unit of area, equivalent to about 0.7 m².

   Coordinate terms: (100 varas) fanega, (10,000 varas) manzana, (1,000,000 varas) labor

See also

• coxa vara
• tibia vara

Anagrams

• avar, arva, Avar

Albanian

Verb

vara

1. first-person singular aorist indicative of var

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin vāra (“fork”). Cognate with Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish vara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Central) [ˈba.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈva.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈva.ɾa]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [ˈba.ɾa]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

vara f (plural vares)

1. (historical, measure) vara, a Spanish rod, ell, or yard, a traditional unit of length

   Coordinate terms: (¹⁄₃ vara) peu, (1+²⁄₃ varas) pas, passa, (2 varas) braça

Derived terms

• tenir vara alta
• vara d'or
• vareta

Further reading

• “vara”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “vara”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “vara” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “vara”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Esperanto

Etymology

Etymology tree

Esperanto varo

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Italic *-ā

Latin -ader.

▲

Latin -a

Italian -ader.

▲

Latin -a

Old Spanish -a

Spanish -ader.

Esperanto -a

Esperanto vara

From varo (“ware, commodity”) + -a (adjectival suffix).

Adjective

vara (accusative singular varan, plural varaj, accusative plural varajn)

1. ware, goods
2. (medicine) crooked, deformed

Related terms

• varo

Estonian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *vara, borrowed from Proto-Germanic *warō, compare Swedish vara, German Ware, English ware. Cognate to Finnish vara and Livonian varā.

Noun

vara (genitive vara, partitive vara)

1. property, estate, goods; things belonging to a person or organisation

Inflection

Declension of vara (ÕS type 17/elu, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		vara	varad
accusative	nom.
	gen.	vara
genitive			varade
partitive		vara	varasid
illative		varra varasse	varadesse
inessive		varas	varades
elative		varast	varadest
allative		varale	varadele
adessive		varal	varadel
ablative		varalt	varadelt
translative		varaks	varadeks
terminative		varani	varadeni
essive		varana	varadena
abessive		varata	varadeta
comitative		varaga	varadega

Derived terms

• kaasavara
• tarkvara

Etymology 2

Derived from Proto-Finnic *varas, borrowed from Proto-Baltic *vāras, compare Lithuanian voras (“old”). Cognate to Finnish varhain.

Adverb

vara (comparative varem)

1. early

   Antonym: hilja

Derived terms

• varajane
• varakult

Faroese

Etymology

Derived from Middle Low German waren.

Verb

vara (third person singular past indicative vardi, third person plural past indicative vart, supine vart)

1. to take, last, require (about time)

Conjugation

Conjugation of vara (group v-1)

infinitive	vara
supine	vart
	present	past
first singular	vari	vardi
second singular	varir	vardi
third singular	varir	vardi
plural	vara	vardu
participle (a7)1	varandi	vardur
	imperative
singular	var!
plural	varið!

¹Only the past participle being declined.

Fijian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Central Pacific *vara, from Proto-Oceanic *para, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *para, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *para, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *para.

Noun

vara

1. coconut apple, coconut heart (spongy cotyledon from a sprouting coconut)

   E kamikamica na vara.

   The coconut apple is sweet.

2. sprouting coconut (germinating coconut with edible spongy interior)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

vara

1. deaf (unable to hear)

   Synonyms: didi, didi vara

   E vara na daligana.

   His/her ear is deaf.

References

• Gatty, Ronald (2009), “vara”, in Fijian–English Dictionary‎^[2], Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 292

Finnish

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *vara (compare Estonian vara), borrowed from Proto-Germanic *warō (compare Swedish vara (“goods”), vara (“care”), English ware (“aware”), aware, ware (“goods”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑrɑ/, [ˈʋɑ̝rɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑrɑ
• Syllabification^(key): va‧ra
• Hyphenation^(key): va‧ra

Noun

vara

1. reserve, backup (that which is reserved or kept back, as for future use)

   Mäyrä tarvitsee paksun rasvakerroksen talven varaksi. ― A badger needs a thick layer of fat as a reserve for winter.

   Minulla on ylimääräinen tulppa varalla. ― I have an extra plug as backup.

2. (in the plural) (natural) resources, (natural) reserves

   Synonym: luonnonvarat

   Irakilla on suuret öljyvarat. ― Iraq has large oil reserves.

3. (in the plural) stores, stocks, reserves

   Synonym: varasto

4. (usually in the plural) funds, means, assets, savings (but usually in the partitive singular when used predicatively)

   Synonyms: rahat, maksukyky (literally “ability to pay”), (asset) varallisuus

   Minulla ei ole tähän varaa. ― I can't afford this. (literally, “I don't have the funds for this.”)

   Minulla ei ole varaa autoon. ― I can't afford a car.

5. (usually in the singular) room, margin; allowance

   Muista jättää kutistumisen varaa. ― Remember to leave an allowance for shrinking.

   Meillä ei ole varaa virheisiin. ― We have no margin for errors.

6. (mostly in idioms and proverbs) caution, concern, care; often translated into English with an adjective (see also pitää varansa)

   Synonym: varovaisuus

   Pidä varasi, ettet putoa. ― Be careful so that you don't fall.

   Ei vara venettä kaada. (proverb) ― Caution does not overturn a boat.

7. (woodworking) a tool for cutting long grooves into (the bottoms of) logs for fitting, or for drafting where the grooves will be cut

   Synonym: varausrauta

Declension

Inflection of vara (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		vara	varat
genitive		varan	varojen
partitive		varaa	varoja
illative		varaan	varoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		vara	varat
accusative	nom.	vara	varat
	gen.	varan
genitive		varan	varojen varain rare
partitive		varaa	varoja
inessive		varassa	varoissa
elative		varasta	varoista
illative		varaan	varoihin
adessive		varalla	varoilla
ablative		varalta	varoilta
allative		varalle	varoille
essive		varana	varoina
translative		varaksi	varoiksi
abessive		varatta	varoitta
instructive		—	varoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of vara (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative varani varani accusative nom. varani varani gen. varani genitive varani varojeni varaini rare partitive varaani varojani inessive varassani varoissani elative varastani varoistani illative varaani varoihini adessive varallani varoillani ablative varaltani varoiltani allative varalleni varoilleni essive varanani varoinani translative varakseni varoikseni abessive varattani varoittani instructive — — comitative — varoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative varasi varasi accusative nom. varasi varasi gen. varasi genitive varasi varojesi varaisi rare partitive varaasi varojasi inessive varassasi varoissasi elative varastasi varoistasi illative varaasi varoihisi adessive varallasi varoillasi ablative varaltasi varoiltasi allative varallesi varoillesi essive varanasi varoinasi translative varaksesi varoiksesi abessive varattasi varoittasi instructive — — comitative — varoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative varamme varamme accusative nom. varamme varamme gen. varamme genitive varamme varojemme varaimme rare partitive varaamme varojamme inessive varassamme varoissamme elative varastamme varoistamme illative varaamme varoihimme adessive varallamme varoillamme ablative varaltamme varoiltamme allative varallemme varoillemme essive varanamme varoinamme translative varaksemme varoiksemme abessive varattamme varoittamme instructive — — comitative — varoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative varanne varanne accusative nom. varanne varanne gen. varanne genitive varanne varojenne varainne rare partitive varaanne varojanne inessive varassanne varoissanne elative varastanne varoistanne illative varaanne varoihinne adessive varallanne varoillanne ablative varaltanne varoiltanne allative varallenne varoillenne essive varananne varoinanne translative varaksenne varoiksenne abessive varattanne varoittanne instructive — — comitative — varoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative varansa varansa accusative nom. varansa varansa gen. varansa genitive varansa varojensa varainsa rare partitive varaansa varojaan varojansa inessive varassaan varassansa varoissaan varoissansa elative varastaan varastansa varoistaan varoistansa illative varaansa varoihinsa adessive varallaan varallansa varoillaan varoillansa ablative varaltaan varaltansa varoiltaan varoiltansa allative varalleen varallensa varoilleen varoillensa essive varanaan varanansa varoinaan varoinansa translative varakseen varaksensa varoikseen varoiksensa abessive varattaan varattansa varoittaan varoittansa instructive — — comitative — varoineen varoinensa

Derived terms

• kaiken varalta (“just in case, just to make sure, to be on the safe side”)
• olla varaa (“to (be able to) afford”)
• pitää varansa (“to watch out, watch one's step, be on one's guard, keep one's eyes open”)

adjectives

• vara- (“extra, spare, etc.; vice, deputy, etc.”)
• -varainen
• varainen
• -varaisuus
• varakas
• varallinen
• varaton

adverbs

• varaan
• -varaisesti
• varalla
• varalle
• varalta
• varassa
• varasta
• varuillaan
• varuilleen

nouns

• varanto
• varasto
• varat
• varauma
• varikko
• varus

verbs

• varata
• varoa
• varoittaa

compounds

• asiakasvarat
• elatusvara
• energiavara
• geenivarat
• hellävaroin
• hiilivarat
• hätävara
• jakovara
• joustovara
• järjestelyvara
• kaivannaisvarat
• kasvunvara
• kolehtivarat
• korkovarat
• kotivara
• kuivavara
• kuolemanvaravakuutus
• kutistumisvara
• käsivara
• käsivaralla
• käsivaralle
• käsivaralta
• käteisvarat
• käyttövara
• lahjavarat
• lahjoitusvarat
• lainavarat
• leikkausvara
• liikkumavara
• liikkumisvara
• luonnonvara
• maavara
• maitovara
• malmivarat
• metsävarat
• mineraalivara
• muonavarat
• painumavara
• pelivara
• polttoainevara
• puuvara
• raaka-ainevarat
• rahavarat
• rahoitusvara
• ravinnevarat
• ravintovara
• ruokavarat
• sanavarat
• saumanvara
• saumavara
• soravara
• säätövara
• takavara
• tarkennusvara
• tasausvara
• turvevarat
• työvara
• täysivarainen
• vakavarainen
• valinnanvara
• valotusvara
• valtionvarat
• valtiovarat
• vara-amiraali
• vara-avain
• varahenkilö
• varainhankinta
• varainhoitaja
• varainhoito
• varainkeruu
• varainkeräys
• varainkerääjä
• varainsiirto
• varainsiirtovero
• varajohtaja
• varajäsen
• varakreivi
• varalaskupaikka
• varallaolo
• varamiehinen
• varamiehistö
• varamiehitys
• varamies
• varanotaari
• varaosa
• varaosamyyjä
• varaosamyymälä
• varapoistumistie
• varapresidentti
• varapuheenjohtaja
• varapuhemies
• varapyörä
• varapääministeri
• vararahasto
• vararavinto
• vararehtori
• varareitti
• vararengas
• varareservi
• vararikko
• varasija
• varatie
• varatoimitusjohtaja
• varattu
• varattu-ääni
• varatuomari
• varauloskäynti
• varauloskäytävä
• varavarjo
• varaventtiili
• varavoimakone
• varavoimala
• veikkausvarat
• verovarat
• vesivarat
• vesivoimavarat
• vieraanvara
• vierasvara
• voimavara
• voittovarat
• vähävarainen
• yliohjausvara
• äänivarat
• öljyvarat

Collocations

Collocations

• elää yli varojensa ― to live beyond one's means
• heittäytyä [+ genitive +] varaan ― to bank on, count on, depend on (literally, “to cast oneself on”)
• jättää sattuman varaan ― to leave to chance/contingency
• olla varaa (+ illative; monopersonal, verb always in the third-person singular, subject in the adessive) ― to afford (literally, “to have funds”)
• olla varalla ― to be in reserve/store, be at hand, be (readily) available
• olla [+ genitive +] varassa ― to rest on (physically), to rely/depend on (figuratively)
• olla [+ genitive +] varoissaan ― to be wealthy, be well-to-do, be flush (literally, “to be in one's funds”)
• rakentua [+ genitive +] varaan ― to be based on, be founded on, be grounded in
• siltä varalta, että... ― in case...

Further reading

• “vara”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 4 July 2023

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaɾa/ [ˈba.ɾɐ]
• Rhymes: -aɾa

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese vara (“rod”) attested in the 13th century Cantigas de Santa Maria, from Latin vāra (“fork”). Cognate with Catalan, Portuguese, and Spanish vara.

Noun

vara f (plural varas)

1. a long and thin stick, pole or rod

   Synonym: valoira

2. shoot; twig
3. (historical, measure) vara, especially as a cloth yard, a former unit of length

   Coordinate terms: (¹⁄₃ vara) pé, (1+²⁄₃ varas) paso, (2 varas) braza

   • 1335, M. Lucas Álvarez, P. Lucas Domínguez, editors, El monasterio de San Clodio do Ribeiro en la Edad Media: estudio y documentos, Sada / A Coruña: Edicións do Castro, page 463:

     que den a uos Eluira Perez en uossa vida de tres en tres annos çinquo varas de valacyna noua ou os dineiros para ella, quantos ella custar enna tenda

     they should give you, Elvira Pérez, throughout your life each three years, five yards of new Valencian cloth or the money for them, whatever it costs in the store

Derived terms

• vara de ourol
• vara fragueira
• varal
• varanca
• varear
• varela

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

vara

1. inflection of varar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “vara”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “vara”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “vara”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “vara”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “vara”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈvaːra]

  Rhymes: -aːra

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse vara.

Noun

vara f (genitive singular vöru, nominative plural vörur)

1. article, commodity
2. (in the plural form) goods, wares, freight, commodities, merchandise

Declension

Declension of vara (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	vara	varan	vörur	vörurnar
accusative	vöru	vöruna	vörur	vörurnar
dative	vöru	vörunni	vörum	vörunum
genitive	vöru	vörunnar	vara	varanna

Derived terms

• vöruheiti

plural form

• aðrar neytendavörur en matvæli (“non-food product”)
• afritunarvörur (“reprographic supplies”)
• alþjóðasamningur um viðskipti með mjólkurvörur (“International Dairy Agreement”)
• Bandalagsvörur (“Community goods”)
• blekvörur (“ink products”)
• brauðvörur (“bakery products, bread products, baker's wares”)
• búnaður til að meðhöndla vörur (“goods-handling equipment”)
• efnislegar fjárfestingarvörur (“tangible capital goods”)
• efnislegar vörur (“tangible goods”)
• einnota vörur (“disposable articles”)
• endursendar vörur (“returned consignments”)
• fiskveiðivörur (“articles for fishing”)
• fjárfestingarvörur (“capital goods, investment goods”)
• flugeldavörur (“pyrotechnics”)
• flugeldavörur (“pyrotechnic articles”)
• fótsnyrtivörur (“pedicure preparations”)
• framleiðsluvörur (“manufactured goods”)
• fullunnar vörur (“compensating products, final goods”)
• förðunarvörur (“make-up preparations”)
• gerð vörureikninga (“invoicing”)
• gerjaðar drykkjarvörur (“fermented beverages”)
• gullsmíðavörur (“goldsmiths'' wares”)
• handsnyrtivörur (“manicure preparations”)
• handverksvörur (“handicraft supplies”)
• hálfunnar vörur (“intermediate goods”)
• háraflitunarvörur (“hair bleaches”)
• hárlitunarvörur (“hair tints”)
• hárvörur (“articles for use with the hair”)
• hjúkrunarvörur (“medical goods”)
• hreingerningavörur (“cleaning products”)
• hreinlætisvörur (“toilet articles”)
• hreinsaðar olíuvörur (“refined petroleum products”)
• innfluttar vörur (“imported products”)
• innlendar vörur (“domestic goods”)
• íþróttavörur (“sports goods”)
• járnsmíðavörur (“blacksmiths' wares”)
• járnvörur (“hardware, ironmongery”)
• kornvörur (“cereals”)
• körfugerðarvörur (“basketware”)
• leðurvörur (“leather articles, leather goods”)
• leirvörur (“crockery”)
• markaðskynningarvörur (“promotion products”)
• markaður með notaðar vörur (“second-hand market”)
• millistigsvörur (“intermediary goods”)
• mjólkurvörur (“lactic products”)
• munaðarvörur (“luxury goods”)
• nefnd um textílvörur (“Textiles Committee”)
• neysluvörur sem ekki eru varanlegar (“consumer non-durables”)
• notaðar vörur (“second-hand goods”)
• of hár vörureikningur (“over invoicing”)
• óunnar vörur (“goods in the unaltered state”)
• pakki sem inniheldur tóbaksvörur (“unit packet of tobacco products”)
• rafeindavörur (“electronic supplies”)
• raftæknivörur (“electrotechnical supplies”)
• rafvörur (“electrical goods”)
• rafvörur til sérstakra nota (“special-purpose electrical goods”)
• rekstrarvörur (“consumables, supplies, production supplies”)
• rekstrarvörur til blóðlækninga (“haematological consumables”)
• rekstrarvörur til lækninga (“medical consumables”)
• rekstrarvörur til nota við geislagreiningar (“radiodiagnostic supplies”)
• rekstrarvörur til nota við sjúkdómsgreiningar (“diagnostic supplies”)
• rekstrarvörur til tannlækninga (“dental consumables”)
• samkeppnisvörur (“competitive products”)
• samlímdar vörur (“laminated products”)
• samningur um textílvörur og fatnað (“Agreement on Textiles and Clothing”)
• samsvarandi vörur (“corresponding goods”)
• silfursmíðavörur (“silversmiths' wares”)
• skattfrjálsar vörur (“tax-free goods”)
• skrifstofuvörur (“office supplies”)
• skömmtunarvél fyrir hreinlætisvörur (“sanitary dispensing machine”)
• smíðavörur (“smiths' wares”)
• snyrtivörur (“cosmetics, toiletry, toilet preparations, cosmetic articles”)
• snyrtivörur í duftformi (“powdered cosmetics”)
• sokkavörur (“hosiery”)
• steypuvörur úr hita- og þrýstihertri frauðsteypu (“autoclaved aerated concrete products”)
• steypuvörur úr léttri frauðsteypu (“lightweight aerated concrete products”)
• stoðtækjavörur (“orthopaedic supplies”)
• sviknar vörur (“counterfeit goods”)
• sælkeravörur (“delicatessen”)
• sætabrauð og brauðvörur (“pastry-cook product”)
• tankskip fyrir unnar olíuvörur (“product tanker”)
• tágasmíðavörur (“wickerwork”)
• textílvörur til innanhússnota (“interior textiles”)
• tollar á útfluttar vörur (“customs duties on exports”)
• tóbaksvörur (“tobacco goods”)
• tómstundavörur (“recreational goods”)
• trésmíðavörur (“carpentry”)
• tölvuvörur (“computer supplies”)
• unnar kornvörur (“cereal preparations”)
• upplýsingavörur (“information products”)
• útvega vörur (“supply goods”)
• varanlegar neysluvörur (“consumer durables”)
• veiðivörur (“articles for hunting”)
• viðskipti með framleiðsluvörur (“trade in products”)
• vísindanefnd um neysluvörur (“Scientific Committee on Consumer Products”)
• vísindanefnd um snyrtivörur og aðrar neytendavörur en matvæli (“Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products intended for Consumers”)
• vörur af ólíkum uppruna (“items of mixed provenance”)
• vörur á vörubrettum (“palletised goods”)
• vörur bundnar í stroffu (“pre-slung goods”)
• vörur frá löndum utan Bandalagsins (“non-Community goods”)
• vörur í dósum (“canned products”)
• vörur í gámum (“containerised freight”)
• vörur í krukkum (“jarred products”)
• vörur í tengslum við gagnagrunna (“database goods”)
• vörur í umbúðum (“packaged goods”)
• vörur í vistarverur manna (“furnishing articles”)
• vörur sem framleiddar eru til eigin neyslu (“goods produced for own consumption”)
• vörur sem greinarmunur er á (“differentiated products”)
• vörur sem nota orku (“energy-using products”)
• vörur sem tengjast menningu (“cultural goods”)
• vörur sem þjóna tvenns konar tilgangi (“dual-purpose products, dual-use goods”)
• vörur til að meðhöndla nýrnasjúklinga (“renal consumables”)
• vörur til einkanota (“personal goods”)
• vörur til heimilisnota (“household goods”)
• vörur til hreinlætisnota (“toilet requisites”)
• vörur til listsköpunar (“art supplies”)
• vörur til veitingarekstrar (“catering supplies”)
• vörur til æðamyndatöku (“angiography supplies”)
• vörur úr hertu gleri (“toughened glassware”)
• vörur úr jurtaríkinu (“vegetable products”)
• vörur úr keramíkgleri (“ceramic glassware”)
• vörur úr vefleysu (“articles made from non-wovens”)
• vörureikningur (“invoice”)
• yfirlýsing á vörureikningi (“invoice declaration”)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse vara, from Proto-Germanic *warōną.

Verb

vara (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative varaði, supine varað)

1. to warn [with accusative]

   Synonym: gefa aðvörun

Conjugation

vara – active voice (germynd)

infinitive nafnháttur		að vara
supine sagnbót		varað
present participle lýsingarháttur nútíðar		varandi
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	vara	varaði		vari	varaði
	þú	varar	varaðir		varir	varaðir
	hann, hún, það	varar	varaði		vari	varaði
plural	við	vörum	vöruðum		vörum	vöruðum
	þið	varið	vöruðuð		varið	vöruðuð
	þeir, þær, þau	vara	vöruðu		vari	vöruðu
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	vara (þú), varaðu
plural	þið	varið (þið), variði1

¹ Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

varast – mediopassive voice (miðmynd)

infinitive nafnháttur		að varast
supine sagnbót		varast
present participle lýsingarháttur nútíðar		varandist (rare; see appendix)
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	varast	varaðist		varist	varaðist
	þú	varast	varaðist		varist	varaðist
	hann, hún, það	varast	varaðist		varist	varaðist
plural	við	vörumst	vöruðumst		vörumst	vöruðumst
	þið	varist	vöruðust		varist	vöruðust
	þeir, þær, þau	varast	vöruðust		varist	vöruðust
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	varast (þú), varastu
plural	þið	varist (þið), varisti1

¹ Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

varaður — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)

strong declension (sterk beyging)	singular (eintala)			plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	varaður	vöruð	varað	varaðir	varaðar	vöruð
accusative (þolfall)	varaðan	varaða	varað	varaða	varaðar	vöruð
dative (þágufall)	vöruðum	varaðri	vöruðu	vöruðum	vöruðum	vöruðum
genitive (eignarfall)	varaðs	varaðrar	varaðs	varaðra	varaðra	varaðra
weak declension (veik beyging)	singular (eintala)			plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	varaði	varaða	varaða	vöruðu	vöruðu	vöruðu
accusative (þolfall)	varaða	vöruðu	varaða	vöruðu	vöruðu	vöruðu
dative (þágufall)	varaða	vöruðu	varaða	vöruðu	vöruðu	vöruðu
genitive (eignarfall)	varaða	vöruðu	varaða	vöruðu	vöruðu	vöruðu

Derived terms

• vara sig
• vara sig á
• vara við
• varaðu þig
• varast

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Middle Low German waren (whence also Swedish vara, Norwegian vare, Danish vare), from Proto-West Germanic *waʀōn.

Verb

vara (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative varði, supine varað)

1. (intransitive) to last, to continue, to go on

   Synonym: standa

   Hvað varir þetta lengi? ― How long will this last?

2. (intransitive) to last, to endure, to be permanent

   Synonym: endast

Etymology 4

Verb

vara (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative varði, supine varað)

1. (impersonal) to expect
   • 1990, the song Það sést ekki sætari mey ("None sweeter than me can be seen") from the album Gling-Gló by Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar (Lyrics)

     Og fyrr en mig varði
     hver strákur á mig starði
     eins og stelpur á gleym-mér-ei

     Before I would know it
     every boy would stare at me
     the way girls do at forget-me-nots

   Gestirnir komu fyrr en mig varði. ― The guests arrived earlier than expected.

Derived terms

• þá er minnst varði (“suddenly, unexpectedly”)

Etymology 5

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

vara

1. indefinite genitive plural of var

Etymology 6

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

vara

1. indefinite genitive plural of vör

Ingrian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *vara, borrowed from Proto-Germanic *waraz. Cognates include Finnish vara and Estonian vara.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑrɑ/, [ˈʋɑrɑˑ]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑrɑ/, [ˈʋɑrɑˑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑrɑ
• Hyphenation: va‧ra

Noun

vara

1. protection, safety
2. property, possession
3. alertness, awareness

Declension

Declension of vara (type 3/kana, no gradation, gemination)
	singular	plural
nominative	vara	varat
genitive	varan	varroin
partitive	varraa	varoja
illative	varraa	varroi
inessive	varas	varois
elative	varast	varoist
allative	varalle	varoille
adessive	varal	varoil
ablative	varalt	varoilt
translative	varaks	varoiks
essive	varanna, varraan	varoinna, varroin
exessive1)	varant	varoint
1) obsolete *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka? or -kä? to the genitive.

Derived terms

• varamuna
• varukset

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 640

Italian

Etymology

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈva.ra/
• Rhymes: -ara
• Hyphenation: và‧ra

Adjective

vara

1. feminine singular of varo

Verb

vara

1. inflection of varare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

• avrà

Jamtish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Norse vera (“to be”), from Proto-Germanic *wesaną; see there for further details.

Pronunciation

• (Western dialects) IPA^(key): [²ʋæːɾɐ], [¹ʋæ]
• (Hackås) IPA^(key): [¹ʋæː]
• (Ragunda) IPA^(key): [²ʋæra]
• (Fors) IPA^(key): [²ʋaɾa]

Verb

vara

1. to be

Declension

Conjugation of vara — active (irregular)

infinitive	vara
present participle	varann, varanes
past participle	―
supine	verið
	present	past
indicative	er	var
subjunctive	veri	vóre
imperative
2nd-person singular	var
1st-person plural	varum
2nd-person plural	varin, varan

Karelian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *vara, borrowed from Germanic.

Noun

vara

1. reserve

Ladino

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Spanish vara, from Latin vāra (“fork”). Cognate with Catalan, Galician, and Portuguese vara.

Noun

vara f (Hebrew spelling ב׳ארה, plural varas)

1. stick; rod; crossbar
2. (diminutive form, typography) The rafe lines in the shape of crossbars that can be used in Ladino orthography as diacritics on Hebrew script to alter the sound of letters to create new letters; a breve diacritic (˘) is placed on top of letters to form fricative consonant sounds, such as changing פ (/p/) into פﬞ (/f/); usually referred to by the diminutive varika (“little crossbar”).

   Synonym: varika

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

vara

1. third-person singular present indicative of varar
2. second-person singular imperative of varar

Latin

Etymology

From the feminine of the adjective vārus, vāra, vārum (“bent in; knock-kneed; different”).

Pronunciation

• vāra:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwaː.ra]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈvaː.ra]
• vārā:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwaː.raː]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈvaː.ra]

Noun

vāra f (genitive vārae); first declension

1. fork, forked branch
2. tripod, easel

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	vāra	vārae
genitive	vārae	vārārum
dative	vārae	vārīs
accusative	vāram	vārās
ablative	vārā	vārīs
vocative	vāra	vārae

Descendants

• Catalan: vara
• Galician: vara
• Mirandese: bara
• Portuguese: vara
• Spanish: vara

Adjective

vāra

1. inflection of vārus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Adjective

vārā

1. ablative feminine singular of vārus

Latvian

Etymology 1

See varš.

Noun

vara m

1. genitive singular of varš

Etymology 2

From Proto-Baltic *warā (“power, force, authority”) (shared with Lithuanian varà (“power, force, authority”), Old Prussian warē (“power”)). Possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn, bend”), through a semantic development “turn, compel” > “force, power."

Noun

vara f (4th declension)

1. power

Declension

Declension of vara (4th)

	singular	plural
nominative	vara	varas
genitive	varas	varu
dative	varai	varām
accusative	varu	varas
instrumental	varu	varām
locative	varā	varās
vocative	vara	varas

Northern Sami

Noun

vara

1. accusative/genitive singular of varra

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• varen

Noun

vara m or f

1. definite feminine singular of vare

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑː.rɑ/

Noun

vara m (definite singular varaen, indefinite plural varaer or varaar, definite plural varaene or varaane)

1. clipping of vararepresentant

Etymology 2

Verb

vara (present tense varar/varer, past tense vara/varte, past participle vara/vart, passive infinitive varast, present participle varande, imperative vara/var)

1. alternative form of vare

Etymology 3

Verb

vara (present tense varar, past tense vara, past participle vara, passive infinitive varast, present participle varande, imperative vara/var)

1. alternative form of vare

Noun

vara f

1. definite singular of vare

Etymology 4

Noun

vara n

1. definite plural of var

Etymology 5

Verb

vara

1. (dialectal, nonstandard) alternative form of vera
   • 1949, Alf Prøysen, Dørstokken heme [The Doorstep at Home], Høvik, page 20:

     Nå kunde det vara det samma med alt.

     Now, it could be all the same [to him].

References

• “vara” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• arva, raav, rava, vaar

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin vāra (“fork”). Cognate with Old Spanish vara.

Noun

vara

1. (measure) vara, a Portuguese rod, yard or ell, a traditional unit of length

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “vara”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Old Norse

Noun

vara

1. genitive plural of vǫr

Old Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin vāra (“fork”). Cognate with Old Galician-Portuguese vara.

Noun

vara f (plural varas)

1. (measure) vara, a Spanish rod, ell, or yard, a traditional unit of length

Descendants

• Ladino: vana, ב׳ארה
• Spanish: vana

References

• Ralph Steele Boggs et al. (1946), “vara”, in Tentative Dictionary of Medieval Spanish, volume II, Chapel Hill, page 518

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• væra, væræ

Etymology

Inherited from Old Norse vera, earlier vesa, from Proto-Germanic *wesaną. Cognate with Danish være, Icelandic vera.

Verb

vara

1. to be
   1. to occupy a place, to be

Conjugation

Conjugation of vara

	present			past
infinitive	vara, væra			—
participle	vara			varin
active voice	indicative	subjunctive	imperative	indicative	subjunctive
iæk	æm, ær	sē, sēi, sī, æri, væri	—	var, uas	vāre
þū	æst	sē, sēi, sī, æri, væri	æ	vart, uast	vāre
han	ær	sē, sēi, sī, æri, væri	—	var, uas	vāre
vīr	ærum	sēin, varin, værin	ærum	vārom	vāre
īr	ærin	sēn, vari, værin	ærin	vārin	vāre
þēr	æru, æra, aru	sē	—	vāro	vāre

Descendants

• Swedish: vara

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀯𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• वर (Devanagari script)
• ৰর (Bengali script)
• වර (Sinhalese script)
• ဝရ (Burmese script)
• วร or วะระ (Thai script)
• ᩅᩁ (Tai Tham script)
• ວຣ or ວະຣະ or ວະລະ (Lao script)
• វរ (Khmer script)
• 𑅇𑄢 (Chakma script)

Etymology 1

Adjective

vara

1. excellent
2. noble

Declension

Declension table of "vara" (masculine)

Case / Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	varo	varā
Accusative (second)	varaṃ	vare
Instrumental (third)	varena	varehi or varebhi
Dative (fourth)	varassa or varāya or varatthaṃ	varānaṃ
Ablative (fifth)	varasmā or varamhā or varā	varehi or varebhi
Genitive (sixth)	varassa	varānaṃ
Locative (seventh)	varasmiṃ or varamhi or vare	varesu
Vocative (calling)	vara	varā

Declension table of "varā" (feminine)

Case / Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	varā	varāyo or varā
Accusative (second)	varaṃ	varāyo or varā
Instrumental (third)	varāya	varāhi or varābhi
Dative (fourth)	varāya	varānaṃ
Ablative (fifth)	varāya	varāhi or varābhi
Genitive (sixth)	varāya	varānaṃ
Locative (seventh)	varāya or varāyaṃ	varāsu
Vocative (calling)	vare	varāyo or varā

Declension table of "vara" (neuter)

Case / Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	varaṃ	varāni
Accusative (second)	varaṃ	varāni
Instrumental (third)	varena	varehi or varebhi
Dative (fourth)	varassa or varāya or varatthaṃ	varānaṃ
Ablative (fifth)	varasmā or varamhā or varā	varehi or varebhi
Genitive (sixth)	varassa	varānaṃ
Locative (seventh)	varasmiṃ or varamhi or vare	varesu
Vocative (calling)	vara	varāni

Derived terms

• adhivara
• anadhivara

Noun

vara m or n

1. wish, boon, favour

Declension

As the masculine or neuter of the adjective above, as appropriate.

Verb

vara

1. second-person singular imperative active of varati (“to desire”)

Etymology 2

Extracted from varati, vareti and vāreti.

Noun

vara m

1. The Pali root var

   Synonym: vu

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈva.ɾɐ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈva.ɾɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈva.ɾɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈba.ɾɐ/

• Rhymes: -aɾɐ
• Hyphenation: va‧ra

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese vara (“rod”), from Latin vāra (“fork”). Cognate with Catalan, Galician, and Spanish vara.

Noun

vara f (plural varas)

1. (historical, measure) vara, a Portuguese rod, yard or ell, a former unit of length about equal to 1.1 m

   Coordinate terms: (¹⁄₄₀ vara) polegada, (¹⁄₅ vara) palmo, (³⁄₁₀ vara) pé, (³⁄₅ vara) côvado, (English equivalent, reckoned as ⁵⁄₆ vara) jarda, (1+¹⁄₂ vara) passo, (1+⁴⁄₅ varas) toesa, (2 varas) braça

2. (historical, measure) square vara, a former unit of area about equal to 1.2 m²

   Synonym: vara quadrada

   Coordinate terms: (¹⁄₂₅ vara) palmo, (403+¹⁄₃ varas) aguilhada, (4,840 varas) geira

3. a stick, a twig
4. a district court, an original court, a trial court or court of first instance
5. (collective) herd of pigs
6. (collective) band of coatis
7. (vulgar, slang) the penis

Derived terms

• varão
• varar
• varazinha
• varazita
• varear
• varinha
• varita

See also

• légua
• milha

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

vara

1. inflection of varar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “vara”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “vara”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2026
• “vara” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “vara”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “vara”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “vara”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin (consobrina) vēra

Romanian vară

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Romanian -a

Romanian vara

From vară + -a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈva.ra/

Adverb

vara

1. in the summer

Noun

vara f

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of vară

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

vara (Cyrillic spelling вара)

1. genitive singular of var

Verb

vara (Cyrillic spelling вара)

1. third-person singular present of varati

Sicilian

Etymology

Of Germanic origin, borrowed from Lombardic *bāra (“stretcher, bier”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *bāru, from Proto-Germanic *bērō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Beere (“stretcher, bier”), Dutch baar (“bier”), German Bahre (“bier, stretcher”) and Italian barella.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈva.ɾa/, [ˈva.ɾa]
• Hyphenation: và‧ra

Noun

vara f (plural vari)

1. (dated) bier, stretcher

   Synonyms: catalettu, littica

2. (by extension, religious folklore) ferculum

Derived terms

• porta-vara
• vara dâ santa
• vara dû santu

See also

• bumma
• cunfaluni
• murtaru
• nzagareḍḍu
• purtaturi
• santu patronu
• stinnardu
• vanchettu

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaɾa/ [ˈba.ɾa]
• Rhymes: -aɾa
• Syllabification: va‧ra

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Spanish vara, from Latin vāra (“fork”). Cognate with Catalan, Galician, and Portuguese vara.

Noun

vara f (plural varas)

1. rod, pole (a long thin stick)

   Synonyms: palo, bastón, barra, verga

2. rod (a thin cane or branch)

   Synonym: rama

3. rod (a staff of office)
4. (bullfighting) lance
5. (historical, measure) vara, a Spanish rod or yard (a traditional unit of length equivalent to about 83.7 cm)

   Coordinate terms: (¹⁄₈ vara) coto, (¹⁄₄ vara) palmo, (¹⁄₃ vara) pie, (¹⁄₂ vara) codo, (English equivalent) yarda, (1+²⁄₃ varas) paso, (2 varas) estado, braza, toesa, (4 varas) estadal, (50 varas) cordel, (5,000 varas) legua

6. (historical, measure) vara, a square vara (a traditional unit of area equivalent to about 0.7 m²)

   Synonym: vara cuadrada

   Coordinate terms: (100 varas) fanega, (10,000 varas) manzana

7. yardstick (a straight-edge tool for measuring length)
8. (figurative) yardstick (a standard used to establish a baseline for measurements or comparisons)

   Synonym: estándar

   • 2020 October 4, Franco Mizrahi, “La doble vara de la Corte Suprema de Justicia: los casos sensibles que posterga el máximo tribunal”, in El Destape‎^[4]:

     La inusual celeridad con la que la Corte Suprema de Justicia abordó el caso de los jueces Leopoldo Bruglia, Pablo Bertuzi y Germán Castelli expuso la doble vara con la que el Tribunal Supremo toma o deja los expedientes que le llegan.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• carne en vara
• compás de vara
• dar la vara
• doble vara de medir
• entrar en vara
• fiscal de vara
• portero de vara
• suerte de varas
• tercio de varas
• trombón de varas
• vara de Aragón
• vara de detener
• vara de guardia
• vara de Inquisición
• vara de Jesé
• vara de luz
• vara de oro
• vara de premio
• vara mágica
• varar
• varazo
• varear
• varilla
• varita

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

vara

1. feminine singular of varo

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

vara

1. inflection of varar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “vara”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²vɑːra/, (verb, usually) /vɑː/

• Audio:

  (file)

  • Pronunciation of the present tense form är usually varies between /eː/ and /ɛː/ depending on the accent. The pronunciation /ɛːr/, [æːɾ] also occurs, especially when it is stressed, in ceremonial speech, or increasingly also due to spelling pronunciation.
• Rhymes: -²ɑːra, -ɑː

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Swedish vara, væra from Old Norse vera, earlier vesa, from Proto-Germanic *wesaną. Cognate with Danish være, Icelandic vera, Norwegian være.

Verb

vara (present är, preterite var, supine varit, imperative var)

1. to be
   1. to occupy a place, to be (somewhere)

      Var har du varit? ― Where have you been?

      Synonyms: befinna sig, finnas, ligga, sitta, stå

   2. to occur, to take place

      Det var fest igår. ― There was a party yesterday.

   3. (uncommon) to exist
      • c. 1847, Carl August Hagberg, translation of Shakespeare's Hamlet (c. 1601), act 3, scene 1

        Att vara eller icke vara, det är frågan:
        Månn’ ädlare att lida och fördraga
        Ett bittert ödes styng och pilar eller
        Att ta till vapen mot ett haf af qval

        To be or not to be– that is the question:
        Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
        The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
        Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

      Att vara eller inte vara, det är frågan.

      To be or not to be, that is the question.

      Synonyms: finnas, finnas till, existera, vara till

   4. (copulative) Indicates that the subject and object are the same.

      Bruce Wayne är Batman. ― Bruce Wayne is Batman.

   5. (copulative, mathematics) Indicates that the values on either side of an equation are the same.

      ett plus ett är två. ― one plus one is two.

   7. (copulative) Indicates that the subject plays the role of or belongs to the group represented by the predicate nominal. This is idiomatically applied more broadly compared to English, as the examples below show. Including an article or making the noun definite – like in English – is not ungrammatical and does not change the meaning of the examples – it is only unidiomatic (and often intuitively redundant to native speakers, for example for giving a count of one (en/ett) to a role, similar to how "became a president" sounds to English speakers). See also the usage notes for en, which include a rule of thumb.

      Han blev president 2007. ― He became president in 2007 [same in Swedish as in English]

      Jag är islänning. ― I am Icelandic/an Icelander.

      Jag är iranier. ― I am (an) Iranian.

      Jag är tysk. ― I am (a) German.

      Jag är amerikan. ― I am (an) American.

      Jag är britt. ― I am British/a Brit.

      Hon är läkare. ― She is a doctor.

      Är hon bagare? ― Is she a baker?

      Han var soldat. ― He was a soldier.

      Han har varit löjtnant. ― He has been a lieutenant.

      Hon är lagkapten. ― She is a/the team captain.

      Han är frimurare. ― He is a Freemason.

      Han är filmfantast. ― He is a movie buff.

      Hon har blivit mamma. ― She has become a mother.

      Vem är far till barnen? ― Who is the father of the children?

      Vem är storasyster och vem är lillasyster?

      Who is the big sister and who is the little sister?

      att vara människa. ― to be a human.

      Hon är läkare, soldat och mamma på samma gång.

      She is a doctor, a soldier, and a mother at the same time.

      Hon är en skicklig läkare. ― She is a skilled doctor. ("Skilled doctor" is not considered a "role," so an article (en) appears in this example, like in English.)

   8. (copulative) Connects a noun to an adjective that describes it.

      Såsen är krämig. ― The sauce is creamy.

      • 1917 translation, the Bible, Deuteronomy (Femte Mosebok), 1:26

        Men I villen icke draga ditupp, utan voren gensträviga mot Herrens, eder Guds, befallning.

        Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God.

   9. Forms a passive voice that indicates a state or a completed action. The examples below show comparisons against -s, which also forms the passive voice. The examples are kept basic for the sake of illustration and do not always represent the most idiomatic way to say things in either Swedish or English.

      Rummet städas. ― The room is cleaned. (is being cleaned right now, or, alternatively, is cleaned from time to time, as opposed to never being cleaned)

      Rummet är städat. ― The room is clean. ("is cleaned" in the sense of "has been cleaned")

      Rummet städas en gång i veckan. ― The room is cleaned once a week.

      Rummet är städat en gång i veckan. ― The room is clean once a week. (an unusual thing to say in Swedish as well)

      Huset målades förra veckan, så det var målat när jag gick förbi det för en timme sen.

      The house was painted last week, so it was painted (had painted walls) when I walked past it an hour ago.

      Vi räddades av en räddningshelikopter. ― We were rescued by a rescue helicopter. (a rescue helicopter came and rescued us)

      Vi var räddade. ― We had been rescued. ("We were rescued" in the sense of "We had (the property of having) been rescued" as opposed to "Someone came and rescued us" – "We were rescued" is used to express both in English, but Swedish separates them.)

      Pojken räddades av hunden. ― The boy was saved by the dog.

      Pojken var räddad av hunden. ― The boy had the property of having been saved by the dog. (had at some earlier time been saved by the dog – odd-sounding in Swedish too)

      Pojken hade räddats av hunden. ― The boy had been saved by the dog. (for comparison – idiomatic-sounding)

      Bilen körs. ― The car is driven. (right now, or from time to time)

      Bilen är körd. ― The car is driven. (has been driven (in some context), has more than zero kilometers on the odometer (if talking generally))

      Synonyms: (when putting stress on the process) bli, (archaic, only still commonly used in the past tense form vart) varda

   10. (archaic) Used to form the perfect aspect with certain intransitive verbs.

       Jag är uppstigen sedan en timme. ― I have been out of bed for an hour.

   11. Used to indicate things like age, height, temperature, weather, ...

Usage notes

• Although the past subjunctive in most verbs is viewed as dated (see: Appendix:Swedish verbs), vore is still very much in use by young speakers, even in informal or colloquial language.
• Technically, Swedish can express the continuous tense with the present participle, like English. "Jag är/var gående" sounds grammatical, literally means "I am/was walking," and would have the same interpretation as in English. However, the tone is completely different, like "I am/was in a state of walking," or "I have/had the property of walking," which is why it is unlikely to be used. (The tone is the same as in "en gående man" (a walking man), which sounds perfectly natural. Compare "a tall man.") Compare also for example "Jag är sängliggande" ("I am bedridden," literally "bed-lying").

Conjugation

Conjugation of vara (irregular)

	active		passive
infinitive	vara		—
supine	varit		—
imperative	var		—
imper. plural1	varen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	är	var	—	—
ind. plural1	äro	voro	—	—
subjunctive2	vare	vore	—	—
present participle		varande
past participle		—

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

See also:

• äm (archaic first-person singular present indicative)
• äst (archaic second-person singular present indicative)
• ären (archaic second-person plural present indicative)
• voren (archaic second-person plural past indicative)

Alternative forms

• va (strongly colloquial)

Related terms

• närvara
• närvaro
• tillvaro
• var så god, varsågod
• vara med
• vara till
• vara till för
• är du snäll
• övervara

Noun

vara n

1. existence, being

   Varats olidliga lätthet ― The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984 novel by Milan Kundera)

Declension

Declension of vara

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	vara	varas
	definite	varat	varats
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Derived terms

• icke-vara

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Swedish vara, from Middle Low German waren, from Old Saxon waron, from Proto-Germanic *warōną. Cognate with Danish vare.

Verb

vara (present varar, preterite varade, supine varat, imperative vara)

1. to last (go on for)

   Synonyms: hålla på, pågå, (dated) fortfara

   Mötet varade flera timmar. ― The meeting lasted several hours.

2. to last, to keep (not spoil)

   Synonyms: (more common) hålla, stå sig

   Mjölken varar längre i kylskåpet. ― The milk will last longer in the fridge.

Conjugation

Conjugation of vara (weak)

	active		passive
infinitive	vara		—
supine	varat		—
imperative	vara		—
imper. plural1	varen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	varar	varade	—	—
ind. plural1	vara	varade	—	—
subjunctive2	vare	varade	—	—
present participle		varande
past participle		—

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms

• bevara
• förvara
• varaktig

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Swedish vara, from Old Norse vari, cognate with Danish vare, possibly from an unattested Old Swedish *vari (“care”), related to Icelandic vari (“caution, carefullness”), but influenced by Middle Low German ware namen, related to German wahren, wahrnehmen.

Noun

vara c

1. care

   ta vara på ― take care of, not waste

   ta sig till vara ― be careful, beware

Usage notes

• Only used in expressions like the ones in the usage examples above.

Derived terms

• ta tillvara

Etymology 4

Inherited from Old Swedish vara, from Old Norse vara, from Middle Low German ware. Cognate with Danish vare, German Ware, English ware. Could be related to Sanskrit वर (vara, “valuable”).

varor

Noun

vara c

2. a commodity (something bought and sold)

   Kärleken har blivit en vara. ― Love has become a commodity.

   1. (in the singular) an item (as a singular of goods), an article

      att lägga en vara i varukorgen ― to put an item in the shopping basket (literally, “item basket”)

   2. (in the plural) goods, merchandise, wares

      billiga varor ― cheap goods

      varor som är på rea ― items/goods that are on sale

Usage notes

Goods being shipped can also be called gods.

Declension

Declension of vara

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	vara	varas
	definite	varan	varans
plural	indefinite	varor	varors
	definite	varorna	varornas

Related terms

• apoteksvara
• basvara
• beställningsvara
• bristvara
• bruksvara
• byggvara
• bytesvara
• charkuterivara
• charkvara
• dagligvara
• dryckesvara
• dussinvara
• ersättningsvara
• exportvara
• fabriksvara
• frysvara
• färdigvara
• färskvara
• förbrukningsvara
• galanterivara
• gottköpsvara
• handelsvara
• hygienvara
• hårdvara
• importvara
• industrivara
• insatsvara
• järnvara
• kapitalvara
• kilovara
• kolonialvara
• konditorivara
• konsumtionsvara
• kvalitetsvara
• kylvara
• köttvara
• lockvara
• manufakturvara
• maskinvara
• matvara
• mejerivara
• metervara
• mjukvara
• märkesvara
• nödvändighetsvara
• programvara
• pälsvara
• reavara
• råvara
• specerivara
• stapelvara
• starkvara
• substitutvara
• surrogatvara
• sällanköpsvara
• säsongsvara
• sötvara
• textilvara
• tobaksvara
• torrvara
• trikåvara
• trävara
• utskottsvara
• vardagsvara
• varubelåning
• varubeställning
• varubeteckning
• varubil
• varubrist
• varubud
• varubuss
• varubörs
• varudeklaration
• varudeklarera
• varudistribution
• varuexport
• varufakta
• varuförsörjning
• varugrupp
• varuhiss
• varuhus
• varuimport
• varuintag
• varukorg
• varukännedom
• varulag
• varulager
• varumängd
• varumärke
• varumässa
• varunamn
• varuparti
• varupris
• varuproduktion
• varuprov
• varuskatt
• varuslag
• varusmuggling
• varusortiment
• varutrafik
• varutransport
• varuutbyte
• varuvagn
• vitvara
• våtvara

See also

• gods

Etymology 5

Attested since 1664. From var (“pus”) +‎ -a.

Verb

vara (present varar, preterite varade, supine varat, imperative vara)

1. to generate pus

   Såret började vara efter några timmar. ― The wound began to fill with pus after a few hours.

Conjugation

Conjugation of vara (weak)

	active		passive
infinitive	vara		varas
supine	varat		varats
imperative	vara		—
imper. plural1	varen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	varar	varade	varas	varades
ind. plural1	vara	varade	varas	varades
subjunctive2	vare	varade	vares	varades
present participle		varande
past participle		—

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

References

• “vara”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “vara”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “vara”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• vara in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Anagrams

• avar

Veps

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *vara, borrowed from Germanic. Cognates include Finnish vara.

Noun

vara

1. stock, store, inventory
2. resource
3. asset

Inflection

Inflection of vara (inflection type 5/sana)
nominative sing.	vara
genitive sing.	varan
partitive sing.	varad
partitive plur.	varoid
	singular	plural
nominative	vara	varad
accusative	varan	varad
genitive	varan	varoiden
partitive	varad	varoid
essive-instructive	varan	varoin
translative	varaks	varoikš
inessive	varas	varoiš
elative	varaspäi	varoišpäi
illative	varaha	varoihe
adessive	varal	varoil
ablative	varalpäi	varoilpäi
allative	varale	varoile
abessive	varata	varoita
comitative	varanke	varoidenke
prolative	varadme	varoidme
approximative I	varanno	varoidenno
approximative II	varannoks	varoidennoks
egressive	varannopäi	varoidennopäi
terminative I	varahasai	varoihesai
terminative II	varalesai	varoilesai
terminative III	varassai	—
additive I	varahapäi	varoihepäi
additive II	varalepäi	varoilepäi

References

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “запас, ресурс, состояние, средство, фонд”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[5], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Votic

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *vara.

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivčülä) IPA^(key): /ˈvɑrɑ/, [ˈvɑrɑ]
• (Jõgõperä) IPA^(key): /ˈvɑrɑ/, [ˈvɑrɑ]
• (Central Votic) IPA^(key): /ˈvɑrɑ/, [ˈvɑrɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑrɑ
• Hyphenation: va‧ra

Noun

vara

1. property, possessions
2. supplies, stock
3. support, assistance
4. share (of something)

Inflection

Declension of vara (type III/jalkõ, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	vara	varad
genitive	vara	varojõ
partitive	varra	varoit
illative	varra, varasõ	varoisõ
inessive	varaz	varoiz
elative	varass	varoiss
allative	varallõ	varoillõ
adessive	varall	varoill
ablative	varalt	varoilt
translative	varassi	varoissi
'Standardized' inflection based on the Vaipooli dialects; see WT:AVOT. For dialectal differences between case endings, see Appendix:Votic dialects. *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the terminative is formed by adding the suffix -ssaa to the short illative (sg) or the genitive. ***) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka to the genitive.

References

• Hallap, V.; Adler, E.; Grünberg, S.; Leppik, M. (2012), “vara”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language]‎^[6], 2nd edition, Tallinn