bear

bear
{{11}}bear (n.) O.E. bera "bear," from P.Gmc. *beron, lit. "the brown (one)" (Cf. O.N. björn, M.Du. bere, Du. beer, O.H.G. bero, Ger. Bär), from PIE *bher- (3) "bright, brown" (see BROWN (Cf. brown)). Greek arktos and Latin ursus retain the PIE root word for "bear" (*rtko), but it is believed to have been ritually replaced in the northern branches because of hunters' taboo on names of wild animals (Cf. the Irish equivalent "the good calf," Welsh "honey-pig," Lithuanian "the licker," Rus. medved "honey-eater"). Others connect the Germanic word with Latin ferus "wild," as if it meant "the wild animal (par excellence) of the northern woods."
Symbolic of Russia since 1794. Used of uncouth persons since 1570s. Stock market meaning "speculator for a fall" is 1709 shortening of bearskin jobber (from the proverb sell the bearskin before one has caught the bear); i.e. "one who sells stock for future delivery, expecting that meanwhile prices will fall." Paired with bull from c.1720. Bear claw as a type of large pastry is from 1942, originally chiefly western U.S.
{{12}}bear (v.) O.E. beran "to bear, bring; bring forth, produce; to endure, sustain; to wear" (class IV strong verb; past tense bær, pp. boren), from P.Gmc. *beranan (Cf. O.S. beran, O.Fris. bera, O.H.G. beran, Ger. gebären, O.N. bera, Goth. bairan "to carry, bear, give birth to"), from PIE root *bher- (1) meaning both "give birth" (though only English and German strongly retain this sense, and Russian has beremennaya "pregnant") and "carry a burden, bring" (see INFER (Cf. infer)). Ball bearings "bear" the friction. Many senses are from notion of "move onward by pressure." O.E. past tense bær became M.E. bare; alternative bore began to appear c.1400, but bare remained the literary form till after 1600. Past participle distinction of borne for "carried" and born for "given birth" is from late 18c. To bear (something) in mind is from 1530s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Bear — (b[^a]r), v. t. [imp. {Bore} (b[=o]r) (formerly {Bare} (b[^a]r)); p. p. {Born} (b[^o]rn), {Borne} (b[=o]rn); p. pr. & vb. n. {Bearing}.] [OE. beren, AS. beran, beoran, to bear, carry, produce; akin to D. baren to bring forth, G. geb[ a]ren, Goth …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bear — Ⅰ. bear [1] ► VERB (past bore; past part. borne) 1) carry. 2) have as a quality or visible mark. 3) support (a weight). 4) (bear oneself) behave in a specified manner: she bore herself w …   English terms dictionary

  • bear — bear; bear·a·ble; bear·baiting; bear·bine; bear·ish; bear·skin; bear·ward; bug·bear; cud·bear; for·bear·ance; for·bear·ant; for·bear·er; for·bear·ing·ly; for·bear·ing·ness; fore·bear; over·bear·ance; over·bear·ing·ly; bear·er; bear·ing; for·bear; …   English syllables

  • Bear — (b[^a]r), n. [OE. bere, AS. bera; akin to D. beer, OHG. bero, pero, G. b[ a]r, Icel. & Sw. bj[ o]rn, and possibly to L. fera wild beast, Gr. fh r beast, Skr. bhalla bear.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Any species of the genus {Ursus}, and of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bear — (b[^a]r), v. i. 1. To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness. [1913 Webster] This age to blossom, and the next to bear. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. To suffer, as in carrying a burden. [1913 Webster] But man is born to bear.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bear — bear1 [ber] vt. BORE, borne (see 3), bearing, bore, born [ME beren < OE beran < IE base * bher , to carry, bring > L ferre, Gr pherein, Sans bharati, (he) bears] 1. a) to hold and take along; carry; transport b) to hold in the m …   English World dictionary

  • bear — vb 1 *carry, convey, transport, transmit Analogous words: *move, remove, shift, transfer: hold, *contain 2 Bear, produce, yield, turn out are comparable when they mean to bring forth as products. Bear usually implies a giving birth to offspring… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Bear — (engl. Bär ) steht für: Mount Bear, Berg in Alaska Tupolew Tu 95 „Bear“, ein sowjetischen Langstreckenbomber Mitglieder der Bear Community Orte in den Vereinigten Staaten: Bear (Arkansas) Bear (Delaware) Bear (Idaho) Bear (Washington) Bear ist… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • bear — / bar/ vb bore / bōr/, borne, / bōrn/, also, born vt 1: to physically carry (as an object or message) the right of the people to keep and bear arms U.S. Constitution amend. II …   Law dictionary

  • BEAR — (Heb. דֹּב; dov). In ancient times the Syrian brown bear, Ursus arctos syriacus, had its habitat within the borders of Ereẓ Israel; it was found in the forests of Lebanon until World War I and is still occasionally reported in Lebanon and… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • BEAR — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Bear peut désigner : le nom breton du village de Bégard ; un terme en anglais pour : ours ou porter ; la ville de Bear, aux États… …   Wikipédia en Français

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