bear English · revision 3884

+ English has two words spelled ''bear'': the verb “to carry”, from the Indo-European root *bher- “to carry”, and the animal, probably “the brown one”; both are inherited from Old English.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /beə/, US /ber/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ {{homograph|1|carry}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725, Beowulf|origins=ine-pro *bher-}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb is [[inh|enm|beren]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[inh|ang|beran|t=to carry, bring; give birth to; endure]], a strong verb (past tense bær, past participle boren),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*beraną]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) which is also the source of Old Saxon and Old High German beran, German gebären “to give birth”, Old Norse bera and Gothic baíran,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) from [[ine-pro|*bher-|t=to carry a burden, bring; give birth]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) the root also of Latin ferre, Greek [[grc|φέρειν|tr=phérein]] and Sanskrit bhárati “carries”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) It is related to [[bier]], [[birth]], [[burden]] and [[fertile]].^(Cresswell 2021)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To carry: about 725, in ''Beowulf'',^(Barnhart 1988) the Old English verb meaning to carry, to give birth, to endure, to support and to wear.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From early times the verb was also used of mental burdens, suffering and toleration;^(Cresswell 2021) ''bear and forbear'' is Middle English, and ''grin and bear it'' from the early 19th century.^(Cresswell 2021) “To possess as a characteristic” is from about 1300,^(Etymonline) “to sustain without sinking” from the 1520s, ''to bear in mind'' from the 1530s, and “to tend in a direction” from about 1600.^(Etymonline) ''To bear up'', to have fortitude, is from the 1650s,^(Etymonline) and ''to bear down'', especially at sea, from 1716.^(Etymonline) The past tense bore began to appear about 1400, but bare remained the literary form until after 1600;^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) the distinction between [[borne]] “carried” and [[born]] “given birth” is from the late 18th century.^(Etymonline) Only English and German strongly keep the sense “give birth”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – to carry, in ''Beowulf''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1300 – to have as a characteristic.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1400 – past tense ''bore''.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+ * c. 1454 – ''bearable''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1530s – ''to bear in mind''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1650s – ''to bear up''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1716 – ''to bear down''.^(Etymonline)

+ * late 18th century – ''borne'' and ''born'' distinguished.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To hold up; to [[support]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To carry; to [[convey]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To have as a visible mark or quality: ''to bear a scar''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To [[endure]] or tolerate.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To give birth to; to produce fruit.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To hold in the mind: ''to bear a grudge''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To move or turn in a given direction: ''bear left''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To be relevant: ''facts that bear on the case''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bearable]]

+ * [[bearer]]

+ * [[bearing]]

+ * [[unbearable]]

+ * [[forbear]]

+ * [[overbear]]

+ * [[childbearing]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|animal}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=before 893|origins=gem-pro *berô}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The animal is [[inh|enm|bere]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[inh|ang|bera]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*berô]], literally “the brown one”,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) which is also the source of Old High German bero (German Bär), Dutch beer and Old Norse björn,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) usually traced to [[ine-pro|*bher-|t=bright; brown]], the root of [[brown]] and [[beaver]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) Greek arktos and Latin ursus keep the Indo-European word for the bear, but in the northern languages it is believed to have been replaced because of a hunters' taboo on naming wild animals,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) as Irish “the good calf” and Russian medved “honey-eater” also avoid the name.^(Etymonline) Others connect the Germanic word with Latin ferus “wild”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Before 893, in a translation of St Gregory's ''Dialogues'',^(Barnhart 1988) and about 1000 in the OED.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Great and Little Bear constellations are from 1398.^(OED 1989) A rough, unmannerly person is from the 1570s,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and Russia was symbolised by the bear from 1794.^(Etymonline) On the stock market a bear, one who sells for future delivery expecting prices to fall, is from 1709, a shortening of ''bearskin jobber'', from the proverb about selling the bearskin before catching the bear;^(Etymonline) it was paired with [[bull]] from about 1720.^(Etymonline) A ''bear garden'', where bears were kept for spectators, is from the 1590s.^(Etymonline) The [[teddy bear]] toy is from 1907,^(OED 1989) and American slang for a police officer, short for Smokey Bear, from 1975.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 893 – the animal.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1398 – the constellations.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1570s – a rough person.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1590s – ''bear garden''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1709 – a speculator for a fall.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1794 – symbol of Russia.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1907 – a teddy bear.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A large, heavy [[mammal]] of the family Ursidae, with thick fur and a short tail.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A clumsy, rude or bad-tempered person.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A person who sells shares expecting prices to fall.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # ''(informal)'' Something difficult: ''a bear of a problem''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Marked by falling prices: ''a bear market''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bearish]]

+ * [[bearlike]]

+ * [[bear garden]]

+ * [[bear hug]]

+ * [[bearskin]]

+ * [[teddy bear]]

+ * [[polar bear]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[berth]]

+ * [[birth]]

+ * [[born]]

+ * [[borne]]

+ * [[burden]]

+ * [[bier]]

+ * [[brown]]

+ * [[beaver]]

+ * [[bruin]]

+ * [[fertile]]

+ * [[arctic]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A third, rare ''bear'' is a variant of [[bere]], barley.^(MWU 2024)^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}