dear

dear
dear O.E. deore "precious, valuable, costly, loved, beloved," from P.Gmc. *deurjaz (Cf. O.S. diuri, O.N. dyrr, O.Fris. diore, M.Du. dure, Du. duur, O.H.G. tiuri, Ger. teuer), ultimate origin unknown. Used interjectorily since 1690s. As a polite introductory word to letters, it is attested from mid-15c. As a noun, from late 14c., perhaps short for dear one, etc.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Dear — or Dears or some variant thereof can represent many things. Dear may refer to: dear (manga), a Japanese manga series by Cocoa Fujiwara. Dear (Shion Miyawaki), a 2008 pop album Dear (surname), a surname Dear , a salutation (greeting) Drop… …   Wikipedia

  • dear — dear·born; dear·ly; dear·ness; en·dear; en·dear·ment; un·dear; dear; dear·ie; en·dear·ing·ly; en·dear·ing·ness; …   English syllables

  • Dear — (d[=e]r), a. [Compar. {Dearer} (d[=e]r [ e]r); superl. {Dearest} (d[=e]r [e^]st).] [OE. dere, deore, AS. de[ o]re; akin to OS. diuri, D. duur, OHG. tiuri, G. theuer, teuer, Icel. d[=y]rr, Dan. & Sw. dyr. Cf. {Darling}, {Dearth}.] 1. Bearing a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dear — [dɪə ǁ dɪr] adjective 1. especially BrE costing a lot of money; = EXPENSIVE: • I could never afford a house around here they re far too dear. 2. FINANCE BANKING if mo …   Financial and business terms

  • Dear — as part of a formal greeting at the beginning of a letter, was introduced in the 15c in various formulas. Dear Sir and Dear Madam have become the most formal types, with Dear Mr Jones and Dear Mrs/Miss/Ms Jones serving as more socially neutral… …   Modern English usage

  • Dear — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Brian Dear (* 1943), englischer Fußballspieler Cleveland Dear (1888–1950), US amerikanischer Politiker John Dear (* 1959), US amerikanischer Jesuitenpater, Autor und Friedensaktivist Matthew Dear, US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dear — Single par Mika Nakashima Face A Dear Face B A Miracle For You (2011) Sortie 27 avril 2011 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dear M.F. — Dear M.F. EP by Big Sugar Released 1995 Genre Blu …   Wikipedia

  • Dear... — Dear… may refer to: Dear… (Kyoko Fukada album) Dear… (The Grace album) Dear… (Sachi Tainaka album) Dear… (song), a song by May J. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an …   Wikipedia

  • dear — [dir] adj. [ME dere < OE deore, precious, costly, beloved, akin to Du duur, Ger teuer] 1. much loved; beloved 2. much valued; highly thought of; esteemed: used with a title or name as a polite form of address, as in writing letters [Dear Sir]… …   English World dictionary

  • Dear — Dear, n. A dear one; lover; sweetheart. [1913 Webster] That kiss I carried from thee, dear. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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