dear

English Online Dictionary. What means dear‎? What does dear mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪɹ/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /diːɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
• Homophones: deer, Deere

Etymology 1

From Middle English dere, from Old English dīere (“of great value or excellence, expensive, beloved”), from Proto-West Germanic *diurī, from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz (“dear, precious, expensive”). Cognate with Scots dere, deir (“of great value or worth, highly valued, precious, beloved”), Saterland Frisian djuur (“precious, dear, costly, expensive”), Dutch duur (“costly, precious”), German teuer (“costly, precious”), German Low German düür, Danish dyr (“expensive”), Swedish dyr (“expensive”), Norwegian dyr (“expensive”), Icelandic dýr (“expensive”), Yiddish טייַער (tayer, “precious,expensive”).

Adjective

dear (comparative dearer or more dear, superlative dearest or most dear)

1. (Ireland, UK) High in price; expensive.
   • 1902, Briquettes as Fuel in Foreign Countries (report of the United States Bureau of Foreign Commerce):

     This water is sold for 50 cents per ton, which is not dear under the circumstances.
2. Loved; lovable.
3. Lovely; kind.
4. Loving, affectionate, heartfelt

5. Precious to or greatly valued by someone.
6. A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.

7. A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
8. An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior or someone one dislikes.

9. (obsolete) Noble.

Derived terms

Related terms

• darling

Translations

Noun

dear (plural dears)

1. A very kind, loving person.

2. A beloved person.
3. An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife.

4. An elderly person, especially a woman.

Synonyms

• (kind loving person): darling

Derived terms

• oh dear
• the dear knows

Translations

Verb

dear (third-person singular simple present dears, present participle dearing, simple past and past participle deared)

1. (obsolete) To endear.

Derived terms

• bedear

Adverb

dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)

1. Dearly; at a high price.

Derived terms

Interjection

dear

1. (dated) Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.

See also

• oh dear
• dear me

Etymology 2

From Middle English dere (“fierce, severe, hard, deadly”), from Old English dēor, dȳr (“brave, bold; severe, dire, vehement”), from Proto-Germanic *deuzaz. Cognate with the above.

Adjective

dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)

1. Severe, or severely affected; sore.
2. (obsolete) Fierce.

Translations

References

• The Middle English Dictionary

Anagrams

• 'eard, DARE, Dare, Rade, Read, Reda, ared, dare, rade, read

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [dʲaɾˠ]

Verb

dear (present analytic dearann, future analytic dearfaidh, verbal noun dearadh, past participle deartha)

1. to draw (design)

Conjugation

Mutation

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English dere, from Old English dīere, from Proto-West Germanic *diurī.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diː/
• Homophone: dher

Adjective

dear

1. dear

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 94