From Middle Englishdere, from Old Englishdīere(“of great value or excellence, expensive, beloved”), from Proto-West Germanic*diurī, from Proto-Germanic*diurijaz(“dear, precious, expensive”). Cognate with Scotsdere, deir(“of great value or worth, highly valued, precious, beloved”), Saterland Frisiandjuur(“precious, dear, costly, expensive”), Dutchduur(“costly, precious”), Germanteuer(“costly, precious”), German Low Germandüür, Danishdyr(“expensive”), Swedishdyr(“expensive”), Norwegiandyr(“expensive”), Icelandicdýr(“expensive”), Yiddishטייַער(tayer, “precious, expensive”).
Adjective
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dear (comparative dearer or more dear, superlative dearest or most dear)
(Ireland, UK) High in price; expensive. The dearer the jewel, the greater the love expressed.
c.1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]: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.
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.
1966, The Beatles, “When I'm Sixty-Four”:Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear.
Loved; lovable.
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 62:"Yes, children dear, wait a bit till it turns itself," she answered - she ought to have said "till I turn it"[.]
1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC: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.
1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 129:"We shall have to put up with whitebait. And, of course, a dear little chicken with peas and roast potatoes."
Lovely; kind.
1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World[…], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:"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!"
Loving, affectionate, heartfelt Such dear embrace tenderly comforts even in this dear sorrow.
Precious to or greatly valued by someone. The dearer the giver, the dearer the trinket he brings!
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon,[…], →OCLC, page 58:[…] dear as sacramental wineTo dying lips is all he said […].
A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.Dear Sir/Madam/Miss, please notice our offices will be closed during the following bank holidays:[…].Dearest Joseph/son:...
A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.My dear friend, I feel better as soon as you come sit beside my sickbed!
1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:“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.[…]”
An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior or someone one dislikes.My dear man, you ought to think twice about who you're trying to blackmail.
(obsolete) Noble.
Derived terms
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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
hold dear
my dear fellow
near and dear
nearest and dearest
old dear
overdear
please excuse my dear Aunt Sally
undear
unendearing
Related terms
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darling
Translations
[edit] high in price; expensive — see expensive loved; lovable
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations. Translations to be checked
Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: драгиm or m pl or c pl, драгаf, милаf Latin: dragi (sh)m or m pl or c pl, draga (sh)f, mila (sh)f
Ukrainian: коха́ний (uk)m(koxányj)
beloved#noun — see beloved
Verb
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dear (third-person singular simple present dears, present participle dearing, simple past and past participle deared)
(obsolete) To endear.
1603, John Davies of Hereford, Microcosmos:Nor should a Sonne his Sire loue for reward, But for he is his Sire, in nature dear’d.
1623, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra:I should have known no less: It hath been taught us from the primal state That he which is was wished until he were; And the ebbed man, ne'er loved till ne'er worth love, Comes deared by being lacked.
1679, Benjamin Keach, The Glorious Lover, page 164:Nay, hide him in thy house, and also show Such deared love to him, as to delight In his base company both day and night?
Derived terms
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bedear
Adverb
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dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)
Dearly; at a high price.
c.1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear.
Derived terms
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cost dear
hold dear
Interjection
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dear
Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.Dear, dear! Whatever were they thinking?
See also
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oh dear
dear me
Etymology 2
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From Middle Englishdere(“fierce, severe, hard, deadly”), from Old Englishdēor, dȳr(“brave, bold; severe, dire, vehement”), from Proto-Germanic*deuzaz. Cognate with the above.
Adjective
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dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)
Severe, or severely affected; sore.
(obsolete) Fierce. The Christens found the heathens dear, as the lion doth the bear.
dhearaimis; dhearadh muid /dearaimis‡; dearadh muid‡
dhearadh sibh /dearadh sibh‡
dhearaidís; dhearadh siad /dearaidís‡; dearadh siad‡
a dhearadh
dheartaí /deartaí‡
singular
plural
direct relative
autonomous
first
second
third
first
second
third
future
dearfaidh mé; dearfad
dearfaidh tú; dearfair†
dearfaidh sé, sí
dearfaimid; dearfaidh muid
dearfaidh sibh
dearfaidh siad; dearfaid†
a dhearfaidh; a dhearfas
dearfar
conditional
dhearfainn /dearfainn‡
dhearfá /dearfá‡
dhearfadh sé, sí /dearfadh sé, sí‡
dhearfaimis; dhearfadh muid /dearfaimis‡; dearfadh muid‡
dhearfadh sibh /dearfadh sibh‡
dhearfaidís; dhearfadh siad /dearfaidís‡; dearfadh siad‡
a dhearfadh
dhearfaí /dearfaí‡
subjunctive
singular
plural
direct relative
autonomous
first
second
third
first
second
third
present
go ndeara mé; go ndearad†
go ndeara tú; go ndearair†
go ndeara sé, sí
go ndearaimid; go ndeara muid
go ndeara sibh
go ndeara siad; go ndearaid†
—
go ndeartar
past
dá ndearainn
dá ndeartá
dá ndearadh sé, sí
dá ndearaimis; dá ndearadh muid
dá ndearadh sibh
dá ndearaidís; dá ndearadh siad
—
dá ndeartaí
imperative
singular
plural
direct relative
autonomous
first
second
third
first
second
third
—
dearaim
dear
dearadh sé, sí
dearaimis
dearaigí; dearaidh†
dearaidís
—
deartar
past participle
deartha
verbal noun
dearadh
† archaic or dialect form ‡ dependent form
Mutation
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Mutated forms of dear
radical
lenition
eclipsis
dear
dhear
ndear
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Old English
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Pronunciation
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IPA(key): /dæ͜ɑːr/
Rhymes: -æ͜ɑːr
Noun
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dēarm
alternative form of dēor
Yola
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Etymology
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From Middle Englishdere, from Old Englishdīere, from Proto-West Germanic*diurī.
Pronunciation
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IPA(key): /diːr/
Adjective
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dear
dear
1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 94:Hea marreet dear Phielim to his sweet Jauane.He married dear Phelim to his sweet Joan.
Derived terms
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dereling
References
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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
