dear

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Loved very much; precious to you.

   She is a dear friend of mine.

2. 2
   noun

   A kind or lovable person, often used to address someone affectionately.

   Come here, my dear, and sit beside me.

3. 3
   adj

   Costing a lot of money; expensive.

   Fresh fruit can be quite dear in winter.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Dear comes from Old English dēore and is Germanic in origin. Its relatives include Dutch dier, “beloved,” and Dutch duur and German teuer, “expensive,” showing that senses of affection and high cost have long coexisted.

From Middle English dere, from Old English dīere (“of great value or excellence, expensive, beloved”), from Proto-West Germanic *diurī, from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz (“dear, precious, expensive”). Cognate with Scots dere, deir (“of great value or worth, highly valued, precious, beloved”), Saterland Frisian djuur (“precious, dear, costly, expensive”), Dutch duur (“costly, precious”), German teuer (“costly, precious”), German Low German düür, Danish dyr (“expensive”), Swedish dyr (“expensive”), Norwegian dyr (“expensive”), Icelandic dýr (“expensive”), Yiddish טייַער (tayer, “precious, expensive”…

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External links

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