bear
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: bâr
ipa: /bɛə/
ipa: /bɛː/
ipa: /bɛəɹ/
ipa: /beː/
ipa: [beː~bɛː]
ipa: /ˈbiːə(r)/
ipa: /bɛː(r)/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /beə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /biə/
ipa: /beɹ/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /bɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: bare
homophone: beer (cheer–chair merger)
homophone: burr (fair–fur merger)
ipa: /bɑɹ/
homophone: bar stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
other: /bɛə(ɹ)/
ipa: /bɪə/
ipa: /bɪɚ/
other: /bɛə(ɹ)/
other: /bɪə(ɹ)/
enpr: bâr
ipa: /bɛə/
ipa: /bɛː/
ipa: /bɛəɹ/
ipa: /beː/
ipa: [beː~bɛː]
ipa: /ˈbiːə(r)/
ipa: /bɛː(r)/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /beə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /biə/
ipa: /beɹ/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /bɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: bare
homophone: beer (cheer–chair merger)
homophone: burr (fair–fur merger)
ipa: /bɑɹ/
homophone: bar stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
other: /bɛə(ɹ)/
ipa: /bɪə/
ipa: /bɪɚ/
Forms: form: bere
Etymology: From Middle English bere (“pillowcase”), of obscure origin, but compare Old English hlēor-bera (“cheek-cover”). Possibly cognate to Low German büre, whence German Bühre, which in turn has been compared to French bure.
Senses: examples: text: And, according to this, one of my Neighbours made a Bag, like a Pillow-bear, of the ordinary six-penny yard Cloth, and boiled his Hops in it half an Hour; then he took them out, and put in another Bag of the like Quantity of fresh Hops, […]
ref: 1742, William Ellis, The London and Country Brewer … Fourth Edition, page 36:
text: ij payer of schete, ij pelows wt the berys,
ref: 1850, Samuel Tymms, Wills and Inventories from the Registers of the Commissary of Bury St. Edmunds and the Archdeacon of Sudbury, page 116:
text: 1641.—14 yards of femble cloth, 12s. ; 8 yards of linen, 6s. 8d. ; 20 yards of harden, 10s. ; 5 linen sheets, 1l. ; 7 linen pillow bears, 8s. ; 2 femble sheets and a line hard sheet, 10s. ; 3 linen towels, 4s. ; 6 lin curtains and a vallance, 12s. ; […]
ref: 1858, Journal of the Statistical Society of London, page 409:
text: I give to my Grand Child Lidea Carpenter the Coverlid that her mother spun and my pillow bear and a pint Cup & my great Pott that belongs to the Pott and Trammels.
ref: 1905, Emily Wilder Leavitt, Palmer Groups: John Melvin of Charlestown and Concord, Mass. and His Descendants ; Gathered and Arranged for Mr. Lowell Mason Palmer of New York, page 24
text: […] a man's eyes played him false, sitting him before tables proper with damask and pewter, leading him to fall into beds gracious with small and large feather beds for softness and pillowed luxuriously under pretty checked linen pillow bears.
ref: 1941, Minnie Hite Moody, Long Meadows, page 71:
glosses: Alternative spelling of bere (“pillowcase”).
Synonyms: word: bear
word: bruin
word: ursid
Hypernyms: word: carnivore
word: mammal
word: vertebrate
word: animal
word: creature
Hyponyms: word: black bear
word: brown bear
word: grizzly bear
word: kermode
word: kermode bear
word: Kodiak bear
word: lip bear
word: panda
word: panda bear
word: polar bear
word: sloth bear
word: sun bear
Related terms: afterbear
forebear