gear English · revision 5063

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1200|origins=non gervi}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

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

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|gere]], probably [[bor|non|gervi|alt=gørvi|t=apparel, gear]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998) related to gerr “ready” and gøra “to make”,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*garwijaną|alt=*garwjan|t=to make, prepare, equip]].^(Etymonline) Old English gearwe “clothing, equipment” may be the source of some uses.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) It is related to [[yare]].^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Fighting equipment, armour and weapons: about 1200 in Etymonline, about 1205 in the OED.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The OED's earliest sense, habits or manners, is from about 1200 and obsolete.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Clothing, and the harness of a horse, are from the early 14th century,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and equipment or tools in general from the late 14th century, such as a ship's rigging.^(Etymonline) The toothed wheel of a machine is by the 1520s (1523 in Barnhart),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) the parts that transmit motion in a motor from 1814,^(Etymonline) and a vehicle's gear by 1888.^(Etymonline) The verb, to equip for fighting or to dress, is from about 1200, and to put machinery in gear from 1851.^(Etymonline) The British slang adjective “stylish, excellent” is from 1951, from ''that's the gear'' (1925), and was spread by the Beatles about 1963.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1200 – armour and weapons.^(Etymonline)

+ * early 14th century – clothing, harness.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1523 – a toothed wheel.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1814 – mechanical gearing.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1851 – verb, to put in gear.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1888 – the gear of a vehicle.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1951 – slang, excellent.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A toothed wheel that turns another in a machine.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A setting of the gears in a vehicle, giving a certain speed: ''first gear''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The equipment or clothing used for a particular activity.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Personal belongings.^(AHD)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To adapt something for a particular purpose: ''geared to beginners''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To provide with gears or equipment.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gearless]]

+ * [[regear]]

+ * [[gear up]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[yare]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}