Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Rear

Rear

(rēr)
,
adv.
Early; soon.
[Prov. Eng.]
Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so
rear
?
Gay.

Rear

,
Noun.
[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
.
Nipped with the lagging
rear
of winter’s frost.
Milton.
2.
Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
When the fierce foe hung on our broken
rear
.
Milton.

Rear

,
Adj.
Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost;
as, the
rear
rank of a company
.
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 rank of a body of troops when faced about and standing in that position.
Rear guard
(Mil.)
,
the division of an army that marches in the rear of the main body to protect it; – used also figuratively.
Rear line
(Mil.)
,
the line in the rear of an army.
Rear rank
(Mil.)
,
the rank or line of a body of troops which is in the rear, or last in order.
Rear sight
(Firearms)
,
the sight nearest the breech.
To bring up the rear
,
to come last or behind.

Rear

(rēr)
,
Verb.
T.
To place in the rear; to secure the rear of.
[R.]

Rear

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Reared
(rērd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Rearing
.]
[AS.
rǣran
to raise, rear, elevate, for
rǣsan
, causative of
rīsan
to rise. See
Rise
, and cf.
Raise
.]
1.
To raise; to lift up; to cause to rise, become erect, etc.; to elevate;
as, to
rear
a monolith
.
In adoration at his feet I fell
Submiss; he
reared
me.
Milton.
It
reareth
our hearts from vain thoughts.
Barrow.
Mine [shall be] the first hand to
rear
her banner.
Ld. Lytton.
2.
To erect by building; to set up; to construct;
as, to
rear
defenses or houses; to
rear
one government on the ruins of another.
One
reared
a font of stone.
Tennyson.
3.
To lift and take up.
[Obs. or R.]
And having her from Trompart lightly
reared
,
Upon his courser set the lovely load.
Spenser.
4.
To bring up to maturity, as young; to educate; to instruct; to foster;
as, to
rear
offspring
.
He wants a father to protect his youth,
And
rear
him up to virtue.
Southern.
5.
To breed and raise;
as, to
rear
cattle
.
6.
To rouse; to stir up.
[Obs.]
And seeks the tusky boar to
rear
.
Dryden.
Syn. – To lift; elevate; erect; raise; build; establish. See the Note under
Raise
, 3
(c)
.

Rear

,
Verb.
I.
To rise up on the hind legs, as a horse; to become erect.
Rearing bit
,
a bit designed to prevent a horse from lifting his head when rearing.
Knight.

Webster 1828 Edition


Rear

REAR

, n.
1.
In a general sense, that which is behind or backwards; appropriately, the part of an army which is behind the other, either when standing on parade or when marching; also, the part of a fleet which is behind the other. It is opposed to front or van. Bring up the rear.
2.
The last class; the last in order.
Coins I place in the rear.
In the rear, behind the rest; backward, or in the last class. In this phrase, rear signifies the part or place behind.

REAR

,
Adj.
1.
Raw; rare; not well roasted or boiled.
2.
Early. [A provincial word.]

REAR

, v.t.
1.
To raise.
Who now shall rear you to the sun, or rank your tribes?
2.
To lift after a fall.
In adoration at his feet I fell submiss; he rear'd me.
3.
To bring up or to raise to maturity, as young; as, to rear a numerous offspring.
4.
To educate; to instruct.
He wants a father to protect his youth, and rear him up to virtue.
5.
To exalt; to elevate.
Charity, decent, modest, easy, kind, softens the high, and rears the abject mind.
6.
To rouse; to stir up.
And seeks the tusky boar to rear.
7.
To raise; to breed; as cattle.
8.
To achieve; to obtain.
To rear the steps, to ascend; to move upward.

Definition 2024


rear

rear

English

Alternative forms

Verb

rear (third-person singular simple present rears, present participle rearing, simple past and past participle reared)

  1. (transitive) To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster (usually "raise" in US English).
    • (Can we date this quote?) Thomas Southerne
      He wants a father to protect his youth, and rear him up to virtue.
  2. (transitive) To breed and raise; as, to rear cattle (cattle rearing). (Usually considered less correct than "raise" in U.S. English.)
  3. (intransitive) To rise up on the hind legs, as a bolting horse.
  4. (intransitive, usually with "up") To get angry.
  5. (intransitive) To rise high above, tower above.
  6. (transitive, literary) To raise physically or metaphorically; to lift up; to cause to rise, to elevate.
    Poverty reared its ugly head. (appeared, started, began to have an effect)
    The monster slowly reared its head.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Milton
      In adoration at his feet I fell Submiss; he reared me.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Lord Lytton
      Mine [shall be] the first hand to rear her banner.
  7. (transitive, rare) To construct by building; to set up
    to rear defenses or houses
    to rear one government on the ruins of another.
  8. (transitive, rare) To raise spiritually; to lift up; to elevate morally.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Isaac Barrow
      It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts.
  9. (transitive, obsolete) To lift and take up.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Edmund Spenser
      And having her from Trompart lightly reared, Upon his set the lovely load.
  10. (transitive, obsolete) To rouse; to strip up.
Usage notes
  • It is standard US English to raise children, and this usage has become common in all kinds of English since the 1700s. Until fairly recently, however, US teachers taught the traditional rule that one should raise crops and animals, but rear children, despite the fact that this contradicted general usage. It is therefore not surprising that some people still prefer to rear children and that this is considered correct but formal in US English. It is widespread in UK English and not considered formal.
  • It is generally considered incorrect to rear crops or (adult) animals in US English, but this expression is common in UK English.
Synonyms
  • (rise up on the hind legs): prance
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English reren, from Old English hrēran (to move, shake, agitate), from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (to stir), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱera-, *ḱrā- (to mix, stir, cook). Cognate with Dutch roeren (to stir, shake, whip), German rühren (to stir, beat, move), Swedish röra (to touch, move, stir), Icelandic hræra (to stir).

Alternative forms

Verb

rear (third-person singular simple present rears, present participle rearing, simple past and past participle reared)

  1. (transitive) To move; stir.
  2. (transitive, of geese) To carve.
    Rere that goose!
  3. (regional, obsolete) To revive, bring to life, quicken. (only in the phrase, to rear to life)
    He healeth the blind and he reareth to life the dead. (Speculum Sacerdotale c. 15th century)
Usage notes
Related terms
References

Etymology 3

From Middle English rere, from Old English hrēr, hrēre (not thoroughly cooked, underdone, lightly boiled), from hrēran (to move, shake, agitate), from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (to stir), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱera-, *ḱrā- (to mix, stir, cook). Related to Old English hrōr (stirring, busy, active, strong, brave), Dutch roeren (to stir, shake, whip), German rühren (to stir, beat, move), Swedish röra (to touch, move, stir), Icelandic hræra (to stir).

Alternative forms

Adjective

rear (comparative rearer or more rear, superlative rearest or most rear)

  1. (now chiefly dialectal) (of eggs) Underdone; nearly raw.
  2. (chiefly US) (of meats) Rare.
Derived terms
  • rear-boiled
  • rear-roasted

Etymology 4

Anglo-Norman rere, ultimately from Latin retro. Compare arrear.

Adjective

rear (not comparable)

  1. Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear rank of a company.
Antonyms
Translations

Adverb

rear (comparative more rear, superlative most rear)

  1. (Britain, dialect) early; soon
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Gay.
      Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear!

Noun

rear (plural rears)

  1. The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last on order; - opposed to front.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Milton
      Nipped with the lagging rear of winter's frost.
  2. (military) Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Milton
      When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear.
  3. (anatomy) The buttocks, a creature's bottom
Synonyms
Translations

Verb

rear (third-person singular simple present rears, present participle rearing, simple past and past participle reared)

  1. To place in the rear; to secure the rear of.
  2. (transitive, vulgar, Britain) To sodomize (perform anal sex)
Derived terms

Anagrams


Latin

Verb

rear

  1. first-person singular present active subjunctive of reor

Swedish

Verb

rear

  1. present tense of rea.