rear
- rear
-
I. verb
Etymology: Middle English reren, from Old English rǣran; akin to Old Norse reisa to raise, Old English rīsan to rise
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1. to erect by building ; construct
2. to raise upright
3.
a.
(1) to breed and raise (an animal) for use or market
(2) to bring to maturity or self-sufficiency usually through nurturing care <
reared five children
> <birds rearing their young
>
b. to cause (as plants) to grow
4. to cause (a horse) to rise up on the hind legs
intransitive verb
1. to rise high
2. of a horse to rise up on the hind legs
Synonyms: see lift
• rearer noun
II. noun
Etymology: Middle English rere, short for rerewarde rearward
Date: 14th century
1. the back part of something: as
a. the unit (as of an army) or area farthest from the enemy
b. the part of something located opposite its front <the rear of a house
>
c. buttocks
2. the space or position at the back <moved to the rear
>
III. adjective
Etymology: Middle English rere-, from Anglo-French rere backward, behind, from Latin retro- — more at retro
Date: 14th century
being at the back <the rear entrance
>
IV. adverb
Date: 1855
toward or from the rear — usually used in combination <a rear-driven car
>
New Collegiate Dictionary.
2001.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
Rear — Rear, a. Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear rank of a company. [1913 Webster] {Rear admiral}, an officer in the navy, next in rank below a vice admiral and above a commodore. See {Admiral}. {Rear front} (Mil.), the rear … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Rear — Rear, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Reared} (r[=e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Rearing}.] [AS. r[=ae]ran to raise, rear, elevate, for r[=ae]san, causative of r[=i]san to rise. See {Rise}, and cf. {Raise}.] 1. To raise; to lift up; to cause to rise, become erect … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
rear — rear1 [rir] n. [prob. back form. < REAR(WARD), REAR (GUARD)] 1. the back or hind part of something 2. the place or position behind or at the back [at the rear of the house] 3. the part of a military or naval force farthest from the enemy ☆ 4 … English World dictionary
rear — [adj] back, end aft, after, astern, backward, behind, dorsal, following, hind, hinder, hindermost, hindmost, last, mizzen, posterior, postern, rearmost, rearward, retral, reverse, stern, tail; concept 583 Ant. beginning, front rear [n] back or… … New thesaurus
rear — Ⅰ. rear [1] ► NOUN 1) the back or hindmost part of something. 2) (also rear end) informal a person s buttocks. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ at the back. ● bring up the rear Cf. ↑ … English terms dictionary
rear- — comb. form, partly of OF. or AF. origin, as in rear ward, guard, rearsupper (and hence by analogy in rear admiral, feast, freight), partly ad. F. arrière , as in rear vassal, vault, and partly (from c 1600) an attributive use of rear n … Useful english dictionary
Rear — (r[=e]r), v. t. To place in the rear; to secure the rear of. [R.] [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Rear — Rear, n. [OF. riere behind, backward, fr. L. retro. Cf. {Arrear}.] 1. The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last in order; opposed to {front}. [1913 Webster] Nipped with the lagging rear of winter s frost. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Rear — may be used as a noun and a verb and has several meanings: * Rear (military) the area of a battlefield behind the front line *Animals: **In stockbreeding, to breed and raise **Rear (horse), when a horse lifts its front legs off the ground *Rear… … Wikipedia
rear up — ˈrear up [intransitive] [present tense I/you/we/they rear up he/she/it rears up present participle rearing up past tense reared up past part … Useful english dictionary
Rear — (r[=e]r), adv. Early; soon. [Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster] Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear? Gay. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
