dear
Part of speech: adj
noun
adv
intj
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: 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 (“expensive”), German teuer (“expensive”), German Low German düür, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish dyr (“expensive”), Faroese dýrur (“expensive”), Icelandic dýr (“expensive”), Yiddish טייַער (tayer, “precious, expensive”).
Inflected forms:
form: dearer
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: more dear
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: dearest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: most dear
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: dears
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: more dear
pos: adv
tags: comparative
form: most dear
pos: adv
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: High in price; expensive.
pos: adj
tags: Ireland
UK
examples: The dearer the jewel, the greater the love expressed.
There's more depends on this than on the value.
The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,
And find it out by proclamation:
Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.
This water is sold for 50 cents per ton, which is not dear under the circumstances.
Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear.
gloss: Loved; lovable.
pos: adj
examples: "Yes, children dear, wait a bit till it turns itself," she answered - she ought to have said "till I turn it"[.]
So this was my future home, I thought![…]Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
"We shall have to put up with whitebait. And, of course, a dear little chicken with peas and roast potatoes."
gloss: Lovely; kind.
pos: adj
examples: "I've never met the kind of man I mean." "Tell me about him. What does he look like?" "Oh, he might look very much like you." "How dear of you to say that!"
gloss: Loving, affectionate, heartfelt
pos: adj
examples: Such dear embrace tenderly comforts even in this dear sorrow.
gloss: Precious to or greatly valued by someone.
pos: adj
examples: The dearer the giver, the dearer the trinket he brings!
[…] dear as sacramental wine
To dying lips is all he said […].
gloss: A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.
pos: adj
examples: Dear Sir/Madam/Miss, please notice our offices will be closed during the following bank holidays:[…].
Dearest Joseph/son:...
gloss: A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
pos: adj
examples: My dear friend, I feel better as soon as you come sit beside my sickbed!
“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”
gloss: An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior or someone one dislikes.
pos: adj
examples: My dear man, you ought to think twice about who you're trying to blackmail.
gloss: Noble.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
gloss: A very kind, loving person.
pos: noun
examples: My little cousin is such a dear, always drawing me pictures.
gloss: A beloved person.
pos: noun
gloss: An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife.
pos: noun
examples: Pass me the salt, would you dear?
gloss: An elderly person, especially a woman.
pos: noun
gloss: Dearly; at a high price.
pos: adv
examples: If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear.
gloss: Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.
pos: intj
examples: Dear, dear! Whatever were they thinking?
Related words: darling
Derived words: Dear Colleague letter
dear diary
dear God
dear heart
dearheart
dearie
dearish
Dear Jane letter
dearling
dear Lord
dearly
dear me
dearness
dear Sir
dear sirs
dearsome
dearth
dearworth
deary
elementary, my dear Watson
endear
endearer
endearing
endearment
for dear life
my dear fellow
near and dear
nearest and dearest
old dear
overdear
please excuse my dear Aunt Sally
undear
unendearing
hold dear
oh dear
the dear knows
Translations:
lang: Afrikaans
word: beste
lang: Arabic
word: عَزِيز
roman: ʕazīz
lang: Arabic
word: عَزِيْزَة
roman: ʕaziyza
lang: Armenian
word: հարգելի
roman: hargeli
lang: Armenian
word: սիրելի
roman: sireli
lang: Armenian
word: մեծարգո
roman: mecargo
lang: Azerbaijani
word: hörmətli
lang: Azerbaijani
word: dəyərli
lang: Belarusian
word: дарагі́
roman: darahí
lang: Belarusian
word: шано́ўны
roman: šanówny
lang: Belarusian
word: паважа́ны
roman: pavažány
lang: Bulgarian
word: уважа́ем
roman: uvažáem
lang: Bulgarian
word: драг
roman: drag
lang: Catalan
word: estimat
lang: Catalan
word: benvolgut
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 親愛的 /亲爱的
roman: qīn'ài de
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 尊敬的
roman: zūnjìng de
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 昂貴的 /昂贵的
roman: ángguì de
lang: Czech
word: drahý
lang: Danish
word: kære
lang: Dutch
word: beste
lang: Dutch
word: geachte
lang: Dutch
word: hooggeachte
lang: Dutch
word: weledele
lang: Dutch
word: waarde
lang: Faroese
word: kærur
lang: Faroese
word: góður
lang: Finnish
word: hyvä
lang: Finnish
word: parahin
lang: French
word: cher
lang: German
word: sehr geehrter/sehr geehrte
lang: Greek
word: αγαπητέ
roman: agapité
lang: Greek
word: αγαπητή
roman: agapití
lang: Hindi
word: प्यारा
roman: pyārā
lang: Hindi
word: प्रिय
roman: priya
lang: Hindi
word: आदरणीय
roman: ādarṇīya
lang: Hungarian
word: kedves
lang: Hungarian
word: tisztelt
lang: Irish
word: a chara
lang: Irish
word: a chairde
lang: Italian
word: egregio
lang: Italian
word: gentile
lang: Japanese
word: 拝啓
roman: haikei
lang: Japanese
word: 様
roman: sama
lang: Khmer
word: ជូនចំពោះ
roman: cuun cɑmpŭəh
lang: Central Kurdish
word: بەڕێز
roman: berrêz
lang: Latvian
word: cienītais
lang: Lithuanian
word: gerbiamas
lang: Macedonian
word: мил
roman: mil
lang: Macedonian
word: драг
roman: drag
lang: Mongolian
word: эрхэм
roman: erxem
lang: Mongolian
word: хүндэт
roman: xündet
lang: Mongolian
word: эрхэм хүндэт
roman: erxem xündet
lang: Norwegian
word: ærede
lang: Pashto
word: ګران
roman: grân
lang: Persian
word: عزیز
roman: 'aziz
lang: Polish
word: drogi
lang: Polish
word: szanowny
lang: Portuguese
word: prezado
lang: Portuguese
word: caro
lang: Romanian
word: stimate
lang: Russian
word: уважа́емый
roman: uvažájemyj
lang: Russian
word: дорого́й
roman: dorogój
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: поштовани
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: poštovani
lang: Slovak
word: drahý
lang: Slovak
word: vážený
lang: Slovene
word: dragi
lang: Spanish
word: estimado
lang: Sranan Tongo
word: lespeki
lang: Swedish
word: kära
lang: Tamil
word: அன்புக்குரிய
roman: aṉpukkuriya
lang: Telugu
word: ప్రియమైన
roman: priyamaina
lang: Turkish
word: sayın
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: عزیز
roman: ʼazîz
lang: Ukrainian
word: дороги́й
roman: dorohýj
lang: Ukrainian
word: шано́вний
roman: šanóvnyj
lang: Urdu
word: عزیز
roman: azīz
lang: Vietnamese
word: kính thưa
lang: Vietnamese
word: thưa
lang: Walloon
word: binamé
lang: Welsh
word: annwyl
lang: Arabic
word: عَزِيز
roman: ʕazīz
lang: Arabic
word: عَزِيْزَة
roman: ʕaziyza
lang: Bulgarian
word: скъп
roman: skǎp
lang: Catalan
word: estimat
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 親愛的 /亲爱的
roman: qīn'ài de
lang: Dutch
word: lieve
lang: Finnish
word: arvon
lang: Finnish
word: rakas
lang: French
word: cher
lang: German
word: lieber
lang: Hungarian
word: kedves
lang: Hungarian
word: drága
lang: Hungarian
word: édes
lang: Irish
word: a chara
lang: Irish
word: a chairde
lang: Italian
word: caro
lang: Japanese
word: へ
roman: -e
lang: Norwegian
word: kjære
lang: Pashto
word: ګران
roman: grân
lang: Portuguese
word: querido
lang: Portuguese
word: caro
lang: Romanian
word: dragă
lang: Russian
word: дорого́й
roman: dorogój
lang: Russian
word: дорога́я
roman: dorogája
lang: Spanish
word: querido
lang: Spanish
word: caro
lang: Spanish
word: estimado
lang: Sranan Tongo
word: lobi
lang: Tamil
word: அன்பே
roman: aṉpē
lang: Turkish
word: sevgili
lang: Welsh
word: annwyl