care
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /kɛə/
enpr: kâr
ipa: /kɛɚ/
ipa: [kʰe(ə̯)ɹ]
ipa: [kʰɛ(ə̯)ɹ]
enpr: kêr
ipa: /kɪə(ɹ)/
ipa: /keː/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /keə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /kiə/
ipa: /keɹ/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /kɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: Keir (cheer–chair merger)
homophone: cur (fair–fur merger)
Forms: form: cares
Etymology: From Middle English care, from Old English caru, ċearu (“care, concern, anxiety, sorrow, grief, trouble”), from Proto-West Germanic *karu, from Proto-Germanic *karō (“care, sorrow, cry”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“shout, call”). Cognate with Old Saxon cara, kara (“concern, action”), Middle High German kar (“sorrow, lamentation”), Icelandic kör (“sickbed”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍂𐌰 (kara, “concern, care”). Related also to Dutch karig (“scanty”), German karg (“sparse, meagre, barren”), Latin garriō, Ancient Greek γῆρυς (gêrus). See also chary.
Senses: examples: text: Care should be taken when holding babies.
text: I thank thee for thy care and honest pains.
ref: 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
text: ‘Have a care, Buquet—ghosts like not to be seen or talked about!’
ref: 1925, Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), Rupert Julian (director), The Phantom of the Opera, silent movie
glosses: Close attention; concern; responsibility.
examples: text: I don’t have a care in the world.
text: Yes, heaven, I’m in heaven / And the cares that hung around me through the week / Seem to vanish like a gambler’s lucky streak
ref: 1956, Irving Berlin, “Cheek to Cheek”:
glosses: Worry.
examples: text: dental care
text: Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 11:28:
glosses: Maintenance, upkeep.
examples: text: The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.
ref: 2013 June 21, Karen McVeigh, “US rules human genes can't be patented”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 10:
glosses: The treatment of those in need (especially as a profession).
examples: text: in care
glosses: The state of being cared for by others.
examples: text: Right sorrowfully mourning her bereaved cares.
ref: 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 17:
glosses: The object of watchful attention or anxiety.
examples: text: More health and happiness betide my liege / Than can my care-tuned tongue deliver him!
ref: 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
text: Sleep, that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care.
ref: c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
text: One day, among the days, he bethought him of this and fell lamenting for that the most part of his existence was past and he had not been vouchsafed a son, to inherit the kingdom after him, even as he had inherited it from his fathers and forebears; by reason whereof there betided him sore cark and care and chagrin exceeding.
ref: 1885, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Julnar the Sea-Born and Her Son King Badr Basim of Persia”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume VII, [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC, page 265:
glosses: Grief, sorrow.
Derived terms: aftercare
aged care
allocare
ambulatory care
babycare
baby-care
backcare
birdcare
bodycare
care and attention
care and feeding
care bear
carebear
care-experienced
care factor
care factor zero
carefree
carefront
carefrontation
careful
care-giver
caregiver
caregiving
care home
carehouse
care in the community
care killed a cat
care killed the cat
careleaver
careless
careline
caremonger
caremongering
care of
care package
careseeker
careseeking
caresome
Care Sunday
caretake
caretaker
care-taking
caretaking
careware
carework
careworker
care-worn
careworn
carling
childcare
clothescare
corridor care
crit care
critical care
customer care
day care
daycare
day care center
deathcare
dental care
dentalcare
duty of care
eldercare
elderly care
eyecare
facecare
floorcare
footcare
forecare
foster care
hair care
haircare
handcare
have a care
healthcare
health care
heartcare
heck-care
Hillary-care
home care
homecare
housecare
infantcare
intensive care
judicare
kangaroo care
kangaroo mother care
landcare
lawncare
lifecare
life-care
managed care
Medicare
memory care
miscare
mouthcare
nailcare
not have a care in the world
Obama-care
oralcare
overcare
pal care
palliative care
pastoral care
patientcare
petcare
point of care
postcare
precare
primary care
quaternary care
respite care
sandwich care
secondary care
self-care
shoecare
skincare
skip-care
standard of care
suncare
take care of
telecare
tender loving care
tertiary care
throughcare
toothcare
traincare
transmural care
Trump-care
urgent care
woodcare
woundcare
Related terms: carcake
chary