English Online Dictionary. What means gear? What does gear mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle English gere, a borrowing from Old Norse gervi, from Proto-Germanic *garwijaną (“to prepare”). See also adjective yare, yar from the same root via Old English.
Pronunciation
- (UK) enPR: gîr, IPA(key): /ɡɪə(ɹ)/
- (US) enPR: gîr, IPA(key): /ɡɪɚ/
- Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
Noun
gear (countable and uncountable, plural gears)
- (uncountable) Equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor.
- Clothing; garments.
- (obsolete) Goods; property; household items.
- (countable) A wheel with grooves (teeth) engraved on the outer circumference, such that two such devices can interlock and convey motion from one to the other; a gear wheel.
- Synonyms: cog, cogwheel, gearwheel
- (countable, automotive, cycling) A particular combination or choice of interlocking gears, such that a particular gear ratio is achieved.
- (countable, automotive) A configuration of the transmission of a motor car so as to achieve a particular ratio of engine to axle torque.
- (aviation) Ellipsis of landing gear.
- (uncountable, slang) Recreational drugs, including steroids.
- (uncountable, archaic) Stuff.
- 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism, Book III, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 113:
- 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism, Book III, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 113:
- (obsolete) Business matters; affairs; concern.
- (obsolete, UK, dialect) Anything worthless; nonsense; rubbish.
- March 29, 1549, Hugh Latimer, the fourth sermon preached before King Edward
- March 29, 1549, Hugh Latimer, the fourth sermon preached before King Edward
Derived terms
Translations
Verb
gear (third-person singular simple present gears, present participle gearing, simple past and past participle geared)
- (engineering, transitive) To provide with gearing; to fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio.
- (engineering, intransitive) To be in gear, come into gear.
- To dress; to put gear on; to harness.
- (usually with to or toward(s)) To design or devise (something) so as to be suitable (for a particular type of person or a particular purpose).
- This shop is not really geared towards people of our age.
- They have geared the hotel mainly at tourists.
- (finance) To borrow money in order to invest it in assets.
Derived terms
Translations
Adjective
gear (comparative more gear, superlative most gear)
- (chiefly Liverpool) great or fantastic
Anagrams
- Ager, GRAE, Gera, Rega, ager, areg, gare, rage
Manx
Alternative forms
- geayr, geyre
Etymology
From Middle Irish gér, from Old Irish gér.
Verb
gear (verbal noun gearey)
- to laugh, chuckle
Adjective
gear
- sharp, keen
- sour, acid
Further reading
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “gér”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Old English
Alternative forms
- ġǣr, ġēr — Anglian
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *jār, from Proto-Germanic *jērą, from Proto-Indo-European *yeh₁r-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /jæ͜ɑːr/
Noun
ġēar n
- year
- late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Sebastian, Martyr"
- age, years old (+plural genitive)
- late 10th century, Ælfric, "Passion of St. Julian and his Wife Basilissa"
- late 10th century, Ælfric, "Passion of St. Julian and his Wife Basilissa"
- harvest
- the runic character ᛄ (/j/)
Declension
Derived terms
Descendants
- Middle English: yeer, here, yere, ȝere
- English: year
- Scots: year
Portuguese
Etymology
From an Old Galician-Portuguese *gear (compare geo), from Latin gelāre. Doublet of the borrowing gelar. Compare also Galician xear.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: ge‧ar
Verb
gear (impersonal, third-person singular present geia, third-person singular preterite geou, past participle geado)
- (impersonal) to frost (weather)
Conjugation
Related terms
West Frisian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡɪə̯r/
Adverb
gear
- together
Further reading
- “gear (III)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011