# dear

Pronunciation: say "DEER" US /dɪɹ/, UK /dɪə/

## Adjective

1. Loved or greatly valued by someone, as in 'a dear friend' or 'the house was dear to her'.
   - Simple: Loved very much, or very important to someone, as in 'a dear friend'.
   - _He remained a dear friend long after they stopped working together._
   - _Their dearest friends gathered from three states to celebrate the anniversary._
2. A conventional, polite way of opening a letter, memo, or email, placed before the recipient's name or title, sometimes after 'my.'
   - Simple: A polite word you put before a person's name at the start of a letter or email.
   - _Dear Dr. Whitfield, I am writing to follow up on our conversation at the conference._
   - _Dear Hiring Manager: Please consider my application for the marketing position._
3. Used, often after 'my', in addressing someone warmly or politely, or sometimes ironically or with condescension.
   - Simple: Used when you speak to someone with warm feeling, or sometimes to sound superior to them.
   - _My dear Professor Hale, your lecture last night gave me a great deal to think about._
   - _Of course you may borrow it, my dear fellow. Keep it as long as you like._
6. High in price; expensive. *(Ireland, UK)*
   - Simple: Costing a lot of money, with a high price.
   - _Petrol has got so dear lately that we've started cycling to work._
   - _Flats near the high street are dearer than anything we looked at last year._
7. Sweet, kind, and warm in manner, or showing loving affection.
   - Simple: Sweet, kind, and loving.
   - _She was a dear soul who never forgot a birthday._
   - _Of all my aunts, Ruth was the dearest: endlessly patient and generous._

## Interjection

4. Used to express surprise, pity, or disapproval.
   - Simple: Said when you are surprised, sad, or unhappy about something.
   - _Oh dear, the cake has completely collapsed in the oven._
   - _Dear me, whatever possessed him to quit without another job lined up?_

## Noun

5. A loved person, or an affectionate, familiar name used to address someone close.
   - Simple: Someone you love, or a loving name you call someone close to you.
   - _Yes, dear, I'll pick up the milk on my way home._
   - _Don't worry, dear. Your grandfather and I have made that drive a hundred times._
8. A very kind, loving person.
   - Simple: A person who is very kind and loving.
   - _The nurse who stayed late with us that night was an absolute dear._
   - _Be a dear and pass me the salt, would you?_
10. An older person, especially a woman, usually referred to as an old dear. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: An old person, especially an old woman.
   - _A little old dear in the front row knitted through the entire concert._
   - _He spends his Saturdays driving the old dears on his street to their doctor's appointments._

## Adverb

9. At a high price or great cost; dearly.
   - Simple: At a high price, or with a big loss or cost.
   - _His refusal to compromise cost him dear in the end._
   - _The company paid dear for ignoring early warnings about the product._

## Adjective

11. Severe in force or effect, or severely affected by something; sore. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Very severe or hard to bear, or badly hurt or troubled by something.
12. Noble; of high rank, birth, or worth. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Noble, or from a high and important family.
14. Fierce or savage in temper or action. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Very fierce and wild, ready to fight or attack.

## Verb

13. To endear; to make (someone) beloved or cherished. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make someone loved or liked by others.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–10, 12–13** — Proto-Germanic *diurijaz ("dear, precious, expensive") gave Old English dīere, meaning "of great value, expensive, beloved," which became Middle English dere. Dutch duur and German teuer ("costly, precious") are related, as is dyr ("expensive") in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.
**Meanings 11, 14** — Proto-Germanic *deuzaz became Old English dēor, meaning "brave, bold, severe, dire, vehement," and then Middle English dere ("fierce, severe, hard, deadly").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dear (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).