bear

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A large, heavy wild animal with thick fur and strong claws.

   When I saw a bear in the woods, I ran away.

2. 2
   verb

   To accept or put up with something difficult or unpleasant.

   I can't bear the constant noise from the street.

3. 3
   verb

   To carry or hold something.

   The soldiers had the right to bear arms.

4. 4
   verb

   To give birth to a child or young.

   She bore three children over five years.

Common collocations

• teddy bear Adjective + noun
• brown bear Adjective + noun
• polar bear Adjective + noun
• grizzly bear Adjective + noun

From Middle English bere, from Old English bera, from Proto-West Germanic *berō, from Proto-Germanic *berô, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“brown”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Boar, Boare (“bear”), West Frisian bear (“bear”), Cimbrian, Mòcheno per (“bear”), Dutch beer (“bear”), German Bär (“bear”), German Low German Boor (“bear”), Limburgish baer, Béër (“bear”), Luxembourgish Bier (“bear”), Vilamovian baor, bar (“bear”), West Flemish beir (“bear”), Yiddish בער (ber, “bear”), Danish, Faroese, and Norwegian Bokmål bjørn (“bear”), Icelandic, Swedish björn (“bear”), Norwegian Nynorsk bjøinn…

Topics