| 释义 |
tearn.1 Etymology: Old English téar = Old Frisian târ, Old Norse tár (Swedish tår, Danish taar, taare), contracted from earlier Old English *teahr, *teagr, teagor, Old Northumbrian tehr = Old High German zahar, zahhar (Middle High German zaher, zâr, German zähre), Gothic tagr; cognate with Greek δάκρ-υ, Old Latin dacrima (Latin lacrima, -uma), Old Provençal dacr, dêr, Welsh dagr tear. The medial h or ȝ, already lost in Old English, is found as ch in 16th cent. Scots. Signification. 1. the world > life > the body > organs of excretion > excretions > excretions from eye > [noun] the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > [noun] > a tear the mind > emotion > compassion > [noun] > expression of > specific the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > [noun] 971 189 Þa wæron his eagan gefyllede mid tearum. OE 1872 Hruron him tearas blondenfeaxum. c1175 159 Þe ter þat Mon schet. c1300 (Laud) (1868) 285 For hire was mani a ter igroten. 1377 W. Langland B. xiii. 45 But if þei synge for þo soules and wepe salt teres. a1500 [see β. forms]. a1600 [see β. forms]. a1616 [see β. forms]. 1737 S. Berington 68 I saw his [Eyes] swimming in Tears. 1782 W. Cowper 4 Nov. (1981) II. 85 You tell me that John Gilpin made you laugh tears. 1808 W. Scott i. Introd. 13 Drop upon Fox's grave the tear, 'Twill trickle to his rival's bier. 1864 A. Bain (ed. 2) i. iv. 297 There are also tears of joy. 1866 T. H. Huxley (1869) ix. §25 Under certain circumstances..the secretion of the lachrymal gland exceeds the drainage power of the lachrymal duct, and the fluid, accumulating,..overflows in the form of tears. the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > [noun] a1340 R. Rolle cxxv. 6 Þa þat dos goed werkis in terys of penaunce. 1388 J. Wyclif cxxv[i]. 5 Thei that sowen in teeris; schulen repe in ful out ioiyng. R. Misyn tr. R. Rolle 18 Is not þis þe vayle of teris & tribulacion? 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane f. xviij The people..are all in teares and mournyng. 1638 J. Milton Lycidas in Obsequies 20 in He must not flote upon his watry biere..Without the meed of some melodious tear! 1719 D. Defoe 8 I was happy in listening to her Tears. 1751 T. Gray 11 He gave to Mis'ry all he had, a Tear. 1815 W. Wordsworth I. 232 Yet tears to human suffering are due. the world > action or operation > easiness > easy, easily, or without difficulty [phrase] the world > action or operation > easiness > [adjective] 1857 F. L. Mortimer (title) Reading without tears. 1877 F. L. Mortimer (title) Latin without tears; or, One word a day. 1896 G. B. Shaw in 12 Dec. 623/2 (heading) Ibsen without tears. 1914 W. Owen 1 June (1967) 257 I have a design in sending you this, viz. to keep you hungry to learn French I hope it won't be long before you read such works ‘without tears’; at least without tears due to grammatical difficulties. 1932 A. Huxley xvii. 280 Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears—that's what soma is. 1937 T. Rattigan (title) French without tears. 1956 11 Feb. 143/1 The late 19th-century concept of progress without tears. 1962 7 June 17/3 It is a without-tears book. 1974 J. I. M. Stewart i. 19 Charles and Mary..were well-mannered young people, and docile at least to the extent of being resigned to Scrabble as a species of Philology without tears. 2. transferred and figurative. the world > matter > liquid > [noun] > a quantity of > small > globular the world > matter > liquid > [noun] > a quantity of > small > like a tear OE 1174 Ða wearð beam monig blodigum tearum birunnen, under rindum, reade ond þicce. c1000 II. 28 genim cileþonian..& huniges teares. c1175 [see sense 1a]. a1240 Ureisun in 200 Swete iesu..min huni ter. 1597 W. Shakespeare v. vi. 14 I would these dewie teares were from the ground. View more context for this quotation 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault vi. xiii. 751 The vine sometimes powreth forth great store of teares, whereupon..it looseth his force altogether. a1626 F. Bacon (1650) 29 The Teares or Woundings of Trees. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil 111 The pearly tears Of Morning Dews. View more context for this quotation 1820 L. Hunt 23 Feb. 156 The tears of the sky at least were dried up. 18.. B. Taylor Manuela in (1866) 316 With the tears of amber dropping. 1864 C. Dickens (1865) I. i. xiv. 130 Hawse-holes long discolored with the iron's rusty tears. 1883 Oct. 873/1 Carrying large candles, which drip their waxen tears along the road [at a funeral]. the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > Italian wines > [noun] 1526 W. Bonde ii. sig. Ovv There groweth the myghty swete wynes, as maluesees, tyerys, and muscadelles. the world > matter > constitution of matter > density or solidity > viscosity > [noun] > viscous substance > from trees or plants > drop of a1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker (1884) I. 139/28 Opobalsamum, balsames tear. a1400–50 4974 Þar trekild doun of þa teres of iemmes, Boyland out of þe barke bawme & mirre. 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens iii. xvi. 308 Evphorbium is the gumme or teare of a certayne strange plante growing in Lybia. 1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay ii. vi. 36 The Mastic is the teare or droppings of the Lentiscus. 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta iv. xxviii. 286 One kinde..which they call Opobalsamum, which be the very teares that distil. 1677 W. Harris tr. N. Lémery ii. xii. 277 Opium is a Tear, or Liquor which distills of itself, by Incision of Poppy-heads. 1715 tr. G. Panciroli I. i. xii. 29 Myrrh, is a Drop or Tear, distill'd from a Tree in Arabia Felix. 1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ 753 ½ oz. mastic in tears. 1838 T. Thomson 671 Gum arabic..is in small rounded drops or tears. 1895 25 Nov. 7/1 Fine tears of frankincense, the gum resin produced by an Indian tree. the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [noun] > tear-shaped object society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > marks or imperfections in 1832 G. R. Porter xi. 249 Tears are, perhaps, the greatest defect that can be found in glass. 1832 G. R. Porter xi. 249 Wherever these tears exist, the material is brittle in a very high degree, so as frequently to crack, without any apparent cause. 1837 VII. 15/1 The smaller and rounder the eyes, the better the cheese is reckoned. They should contain a clear salt liquor, which is called the tears. 1839 A. Ure 746 It [Plomb gomme] has been found only at Huelgoet, near Poullaouen, in Brittany, covering with its tears or small concretions the ores of white lead and galena. 1839 A. Ure 1250 The block of metal is heated till it becomes brittle, when..it is broken to pieces, and presents an agglomeration of elongated grains or tears; whence it is called grain tin. 1857 D. Livingstone xxxi. 650 It [iron] occurs generally in tears or rounded lumps. 1858 O. W. Holmes ii. 42 A Prince-Rupert's-drop..is a tear of unannealed glass. 1877 E. H. Knight Tears, the vitreous drops from the melting of the walls of a furnace. 1899 R. H. Allen 335 In the later Middle Ages they were known as the Larmes de Saint Laurent, Saint Laurence's Tears, his martyrdom upon the red-hot gridiron having taken place on the 10th of August, 258. Compounds General attributive. C1. Attributive. a. a1600 in E. Farr (1845) II. 444 Thou let'st me wash thy feete in my teare-bath. 1893 F. Thompson Hound of Heaven in 53 And now my heart is as a broken fount, Wherein tear-drippings stagnate. a1631 J. Donne ii No teare-flouds, nor sigh-tempests move. 1916 R. Graves 21 Till it seemed through a swift tear-flood That dead men blossomed in the garden-close. b. 1922 J. Joyce iii. xviii. [Penelope] 718 That was the last time she turned on the teartap. 1965 S. Smith in 2 Sept. 347/3 Those awful tear-tracks on her cheeks, As if she had cried a lot! C2. Objective and objective genitive. b. 1868 M. Collins I. 210 That tear-compelling tragedy. 1597 W. Shakespeare iv. ii. 67 Teare falling pittie dwels not in this eie. View more context for this quotation 1597 M. Drayton f. 16 If all remorcelesse, no teare-shedding eye, My selfe will moane my selfe. 1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas (new ed.) ii. iii. 6 O contrite heart's Restorer! Teares-wiping tame-grief! C3. Instrumental. a. 1625 F. Quarles xx. sig. E2 My teares-baptized Loue. a1644 F. Quarles (1645) xii. 58 To meet Thy tear-bedabled fun'rals in the Street. c1610 God Hears, etc. in E. Farr (1848) 110 Thy teares-bedewed praiers, And thy repentant sighes, shall haue accesse Before the throne of heaven. 1906 Mar. 28/1 Crowds with tear-bedewed cheeks thronged the streets. 1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage III. ix. iv. 391 My tear-besprinkled visage. 1813 W. Scott v. 232 Tear-blinded to the castle hall, Came as to bear her funeral pall. 1938 E. Bowen ii. i. 178 Her manner..had threatened the afternoon like a cloud that covers the sky but is almost certain never to break. Her eyelids looked rigid—tear-bound, you would have said. a1618 J. Sylvester Author's Invoc. 5 In this teare-composed terrene Globe. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > dirt > soiled condition > [adjective] > by tears 1915 Jan. 46/2 She raised a tear dabbled countenance. 1944 W. de la Mare 217 Tear-dabbled cheeks, wild eyes I see. a1600 J. Bryan in E. Farr (1845) II. 333 Heare, heare with acceptation The teare~dew'd words I speake. 1811 W. Bristow ii She cannot see my tear-dim'd eye. 1594 W. Shakespeare sig. L2v About her teare-distained eye Blew circles stream'd. View more context for this quotation 1632 W. Lithgow i. 5 Teare-rent Sophyre, Synon-like betrayd What votall oathes, loues sterne fort, ne'er bewrayd. 1776 W. J. Mickle tr. L. de Camoens vii. 298 The tear-dropt bough hangs weeping in the vale. 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas ii. i. 314 His tear-drown'd eyes a night of clouds bedims. 1951 in M. McLuhan 11/2 Miss Grable, with tear-filled eyes, showed..a letter she'd received from a soldier's buddy. a1600 J. Bryan in E. Farr (1845) II. 334 My long teare-fraught eies Haue seene thy plagues redoble Vpon mine enemies. 1842 F. W. Faber 261 White flowers, tear-freshened, for pale sorrow's brow. 1811 W. Bristow iii At widow'd Love's tear-glistning shrine. 1931 R. Campbell ii. 41 Holding our course among the tear-logged wrecks. 1840 R. Browning iii. 744 Lashless eyes Inveterately tear~shot. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > dirt > soiled condition > [adjective] > by tears a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. iv. 17 Ile prepare My teare-stayn'd eyes, to see her Miseries. View more context for this quotation 1868 A. I. Menken (1883) 120 Take my cold, tear-stained face up to yours. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > dirt > soiled condition > [adjective] > by tears 1923 J. Galsworthy 181 The girl's face, tear-streaked, confusedly pretty, had come up before him. 1942 S. Smith 76 My reverent reveries and fruitful plod Of tear-strewn steps. 1593 T. Nashe Ep. Ded., sig. *2v That which my Teare-stubbed penne..hath attempted. 1939 D. Thomas 12 After the feast of tear-stuffed time and thistles. 1768 C. Shaw i These tear-swoln eyes beheld her fall. 1880 G. M. Hopkins (1967) 88 In his hands he has flung His tear-tricked cheeks of flame. 1755 J. Shebbeare (1769) II. 431 The tear-washed eye surveyed the severe trials. 1916 H. G. Wells iii. i. 389 Her tear-washed mind became vaguely friendly. 1922 J. Joyce ii. viii. [Lestrygonians] 169 Davy Byrne, sated after his yawn, said with tearwashed eyes:—And is that a fact? a1649 W. Drummond (1711) 33/1 Her Tear-wet Locks hang'd o'er her Face. 1786 R. Burns (1968) I. 232 My toil-beat nerves, and tear-worn eye. 1823 Ld. Byron xiv. 30 They voted..tear-wrung millions—why? for Rent! b. 1873 E. J. Brennan 70 For she Tear-nourishes the bud her true love bare Unto her lord. C4. Of other kinds. 1874 M. Collins & F. Collins II. 191 Her hazel eyes tear-bright with glee. the world > matter > liquid > liquid flow > action or process of dripping or falling in drops > [adjective] > in the form of or occurring in drops > like a tear 1567 J. Maplet f. 32 This Tree..by and by droppeth and distilleth a certaine humor, in a manner tearlike. the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [adjective] > like a tear-drop 1893 J. A. Hodges (1907) 88 Tear-shaped markings may be produced. 1579 S. Gosson f. 32 Calling [Mars] the bloody God, the angry God,..πολύδακρυς the teare thirsty God. 1938 S. Beckett iv. 51 The human eyelid is not teartight. 1916 D. H. Lawrence 74 Tear-trembling stars of autumn. C5. Special combinations: See also tear-bottle n.the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > family Cervidae (deer) > [noun] > body or parts of > gland beneath eye 1893 R. Lydekker 64 The lachrymal fossa—in which rests the gland termed the crumen, larmier, or ‘tear-bag’. society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > explosive device > [noun] > bomb > smoke bomb or tear bomb 1929 M. Lief xv. 238 I'm going to have Katie actually taken for a ride..and Rat-Face Walsh's yeggs following..with machine guns and tear bombs. 1953 Wendt & Kogan xxiii. 271 Police squads cruising the city, machine-guns in their laps and tear bombs in their pockets. society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > use of chemicals, etc. > attack with chemicals, etc. [verb (transitive)] society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > fire, radiation, or chemical weapons > [noun] > gas 1917 W. Owen 19 Jan. (1967) 429 It was only tear-gas from a shell, and I got safely back (to the party) in my helmet. 1927 12 Oct. 202/2 The troopers on the outskirts..hurled tear-gas bombs and charged. 1927 16 Dec. 15 I imagine him, first, tear-gassing a river bank and so reducing all the crocodiles to genuinely hopeless grief. 1934 R. Stout ii. 25 A gangster had been tear-gassed out of a Brooklyn flat. 1978 R. Ludlum xliii. 499 Tear gas and Mace were not unknown in Yakov's line of work. 1927 9 Aug. 4 Old English witch-balls and tear-glasses..are among the curious collecting quests of the moment. the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > grave or burial-place > [noun] > grave goods > tear-bottle 1869 ‘M. Twain’ xxiv. 252 A Pisan antiquarian gave me an ancient tear-jug. 1916 23 Dec. 451/2 Tear-masks were to be kept handy. 1926 M. Leinster 246 Through a tear-mist she looked at a myriad ghost-pale lights. the world > life > the body > secretory organs > ducts > [noun] > tear duct 1892 30 Mar. 4/3 The treatment of obstructions of the tear passages. the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > family Cervidae (deer) > [noun] > body or parts of > gland beneath eye 1834 II. 69/1 The possession of lachrymal sinuses, or, as they are vernacularly called with reference to the stag and fallow-deer, tear-pits,..distinguishes the greater number of the antelopes. 1903 J. S. Farmer (at cited word) To work thetear-pump,..to weep. the world > life > the body > secretory organs > ducts > [noun] > tear duct > orifice of 1876 T. Bryant (ed. 2) I. viii. 338 The tear puncta..lie in contact with the ocular conjunctiva. society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > ammunition for firearms > [noun] > bullet or shell > shell > smoke or gas shell 1916 23 Dec. 451/3 Don't you know the scent of tear-shells when you smell it? society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > fire, radiation, or chemical weapons > [noun] > gas 1946 F. Burrows Let. 22 Aug. in Mansergh & Moon (1979) VIII. 296 He added that the Police had used tear-smoke on crowds frequently. 1949 A. Koestler i. xii. 136 The boarding party finally gained control of the vessel by using tear-smoke grenades..against them. Draft additions 1993 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > decoration in 1916 J. S. Lewis iii. 62 The tear of the glass-blower is a bubble of air blown into the centre of a mass of molten glass, possibly at first by accident and afterwards by design, as a form of ornamentation. 1961 E. M. Elville 13/2 The formation of a tear was a quick and easy operation for the glass-maker. Using a blunt metal tool, he merely dented the surface of the metal he was working and covered the depression with a second layer of glass. Draft additions March 2004 1579 T. Churchyard sig. Bii To tell you all, their battailes here a rowe, Would moue your minde, and heauie harte to tears. 1678 T. Shadwell v. 73 Good men, you much surprise me, even to tears. 1719 D. Defoe 282 It would have mov'd any one to Tears, to have seen how Friday kiss'd him. 1796 F. Burney V. ix. ix. 201 It sunk to his heart, dispirited him to tears, and sent him, extremely ill, to bed. 1819 P. B. Shelley 36 His very gestures touched to tears The unpersuaded tyrant, never So moved before. 1893 Jan. 84/2 Honorable Arthur, simple, frank, direct, sensible, and he bores me almost to tears. 1992 Jan. 22/3 ‘This thing moves me to tears’, he says of the Vespers, though he has never heard the recording in its final form. 2002 D. Aitkenhead xii. 121 He was starting up his own business..and within minutes was boring us to tears with share ownership and product-placement plans. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online June 2022). tearn.2 the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > [noun] 1666 S. Pepys 29 Sept. (1972) VII. 301 The wages, victuals, wear, and tear..will come to above three Millions. 1705 R. Cromwell Let. in (1898) XIII. 123 A third for wages tare and ware, and upholding the stock. 1765 S. Foote i. 12 At that time of life, men can bustle and stir..; it is the only tear and wear season. 1767 A. Young 282 With ease to the horses, and not half the tear of irons, &c. 1874 J. S. Blackie 65 Plated work will never stand the tear and wear of life. 1901 6 Mar. 9/7 The tear and wear of the campaign is telling severely on the..Yeomanry. 2. concrete. the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > [noun] > a tear 1611 R. Cotgrave Deschirure, a teare, a rent. 1755 S. Johnson Tear,..a rent, a fissure. 1824 L. L. Cameron ii. 21 Mother has darned up the tears. 1891 195 Each darn and tear has its story. 190. This copy has the title cut round and mounted, a few slight tears in margins, in one case the tear extends to text. the world > matter > constitution of matter > weakness > [noun] > weak place a1856 H. Miller (1857) vi. 232 What a draper would term the tear of the one layer or fold. 3. An act of tearing, in senses 8 and 9 of the verb. the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > [noun] > a rapid rate > full speed 1838 C. Dickens II. xxxiii. 232 He..could have..galloped away full tear to the next stage. 1892 2 Jan. 16/1 The rattling tear across country. society > leisure > social event > a merrymaking or convivial occasion > [noun] > noisy or riotous 1869 B. Harte How Santa Claus, etc. in (1872) 363 May be ye'd all like to come over to my house to-night and have a sort of tear round. 1895 27 189/2 Then I should go on a tear—a regular one you know—and not come home for three whole days. 1896 Apr. 775/2 Got me off on a tear somehow, and by the time I was sober again the money was 'most all gone. the mind > emotion > violent emotion > [noun] > fit of violent emotion 1880 M. A. Courtney W. Cornwall Words in M. A. Courtney & T. Q. Couch 57/2 Taer, a rage. ‘She got into a pretty taer’. 1890 128 If you keep quiet you may see a way out of the difficulty that you most certainly would not if you got in a ‘tare’. the mind > mental capacity > expectation > surprise, unexpectedness > exclamation of surprise [interjection] 1841 C. J. Lever Charles O'Malley lxvii, in Feb. 282/2 Tear and ages! how sore my back is. 1842 S. Lover iii ‘Tare an' ouns!’ roared Murphy, ‘how Andy runs’. 1893 S. Baring-Gould I. i. 13 ‘Tear and ages!’ sez I; ‘that's a wonder of the world.’ Compounds the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > discontinuity or unconformity > [noun] > fault > other types of fault 1900 16 465 It is this [‘lag’ fault] which gives one a clue as to the nature of some of the most striking ‘tear’ faults. 1924 J. G. A. Skerl tr. A. Wegener 58 A lateral displacement of great dimensions, a so-called tear fault. 1957 113 59 They occur..as infolds, and slices brought up along the Strathconon tear-fault. 1977 A. Hallam 60/1 Another common type of shear—which caused little trouble to miners and so was unrecognised for many years—is variously known as a strike-slip, wrench, tear or transcurrent fault. Draft additions 1993 society > leisure > sport > winning, losing, or scoring > [adverb] > a winning streak 1975 31 Mar. 2- d/4 Ted Simmons, on a hitting tear for the past week, singled twice, scored a run and drove in two as the Cards built a 3–1 lead going into the eighth. 1988 17 Aug. (Sports section) 1/5 In the fifth, Mitch Webster, who has been on a tear, hustled his second single of the night into a double. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022). tearadj.n.3 Etymology: Known c1400; apparently < Dutch or Low German: compare Middle Dutch, Middle Flemish, Middle Low German, Low German teer, têr, contracted < teeder, têder fine, thin, delicate, tender: compare Old English tíedre, týdre, tydder tender. Now technical. †A. adj.the world > food and drink > food > flour > [adjective] > fine the world > matter > constitution of matter > other specific kinds of texture > [adjective] > fine the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > treated or processed textiles > [adjective] > flax, hemp, or jute c1400 (Rolls) III. 9 Salomon his mete was euery day þritty corues of clene [v.rr. teer, tere, ter] floure and foure score corues of mele. 1532 in J. W. Clay (1902) VI. 34 ij pare of harden shettes, ij pare of hempe tere, and ij pare of lynan shettes. 1541–2 in (1857) 80 A xj payre of teir hempen shetis. 1544 in J. W. Clay (1902) VI. 214 A pare of newe hempe tere shetes. ?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) i. l. 542 in (1967) 40 Damesflure, tere, pyle quhare on thair lyis Perle, orphany quhilk euery state renewis. B. n.3 (The adjective used absolutely.) Something of the finest or best quality: the world > food and drink > food > flour > [noun] > fine flour c1440 489/1 Teere, of flowre, amolum. 1521 R. Whittington (rev. ed.) sig. Bvi Pollis vel pollen..est idem in tritico quod flos in siligine, the tere of floure. 1521 669 But on haly-cake, and that they put no more theryn but the Teyre of thre stryke of whete. the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > treated or processed textiles > [noun] > flax, hemp, or jute > heckled > finest parts 1541–2 in (1857) 81 xxv teir of hempe slippingis. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny II. xix. i. 4 As for the good Flax indeed, which is the teere or marrow as it were within of the Line. 1657 W. Coles cclxxxi The Summer Hemp affordeth most Teere as they call it. 1706 (new ed.) Tare of Flax, the finest dress'd part of it made ready for the Spinner. 1805 Usef. Proj. in 851/2 A machine for discharging a woolcomb or combs, by separating the tears from the noiles. 1837 N. Whittock et al. (1842) 238 [article Flax Dresser] The strike is to pass through a fine hackle, and the hurds coming from thence saved for middling cloth, and the tear itself for the best linen. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022). tearv.1Inflections: Past tense tore Brit.  /tɔː/, U.S. /tɔr/, ( archaic and dialect) tare Brit. /tɛː/, U.S. /tɛ(ə)r/; Past participle torn Brit. /tɔːn/, U.S. /tɔrn/; Etymology: Old English ter-an, past tense tær, plural tǽron, past participle toren, = Old Low German *teran (Middle Dutch, Middle Low German teren, Dutch teren, Old High German zeran (Middle High German zeren, zern, German zehren) to destroy, consume, Gothic gatairan to destroy. Old Germanic *teran (tar, ˈtâron, ˈtoran-) was cognate with Greek δέρειν to flay, Old Church Slavonic derą to tear asunder, Sanskrit dar- to burst. The Old English past tense tær ( < tar) survived as tare to 17th cent., when it gave place in standard English to tore, with o from past participle toren, torn: compare bore, swore. A weak past tense and participle terede, tered, found in 15th cent., are still dialectal, along with a mixed form tored, tord. Signification. I. Senses related to pulling apart or rending. 1. the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (transitive)] the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > pull out or up > violently tear out or up c10001 [see α. forms]. c1386 G. Chaucer 136 Though men me wolde al in to pieces tere. a1400 (W.) 782 The grehound wolde nowt sessed be, Til that adder ware toren of thre. a1440 1688 Leve syre, where have ȝe bene, ȝoure clothus to tere. 1530 J. Palsgrave 754/2 He hath torne my gowne a foote and more. 1597 W. Shakespeare v. iii. 35 By heauen Ile teare thee ioynt by ioynt. View more context for this quotation 1649 E. Reynolds (new ed.) i. 32 The Serpent can sting, but he cannot teare in pieces. 1709 M. Pierrepont Let. 21 Aug. in (1837) I. 140 She will..tear the letter, and never answer it. 1784 J. Douglas I. ii. vii. 291 They are always careful to join the small pieces lengthwise, which makes it impossible to tear the cloth in any direction but one. 1841 W. Spalding III. 96 The unpopular minister of finance was torn in pieces by the mob. 1857 T. Hughes i. vii. 162 Engaged in tearing up old newspapers..into small pieces. 1902 J. Buchan v. 268 The boy had torn his clothes. the world > existence and causation > creation > [verb (transitive)] > fashion, shape, or form > form by cutting, pounding, tearing, rubbing, etc. 1597 W. Shakespeare v. v. 20 How these vaine weake nailes May teare a passage thorow the flinty ribs Of this hard world. View more context for this quotation 1911 at Tear Mod. You've torn a hole in my coat. the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > break [verb (transitive)] > break to pieces, shatter, or burst 1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda i. lxxi. 145 b Their Fregates..were torne in pieces and sunke. 1588 W. Wynter 28 Feb. (P.R.O.) This winters weather..hath..torn many of our blocks, pulleis and sheevers. a1600 R. Hooker (1612) 31 As water split or poured into a torne dish. c1626 (1955) 229 From ye armed winds an hoast brake forth wch tare their shipps, & sav'd ours. 1746 P. Francis tr. Horace 642 Like a baited Bear, If he hath Strength enough his Den to tear. 1828 Nov. 481 In this county [Hampshire] break is used for tear, and tear for break, as, I have torn my best decanter, or china dish; I have broke my cambric apron. 1888 F. T. Elworthy (at cited word) Mind you don't tear the pitcher. Who've a-bin an' a-tord the winder? society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > acting > act [verb (intransitive)] > in specific manner 1600 W. Shakespeare i. ii. 25 I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to teare a Cat in, to make all split. View more context for this quotation 1610 8 Sirrha is this you, would rend and teare the cat upon a stage? the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > lacerate a1000 Confess. Ecgberti §40 in B. Thorpe (1840) II. 164) gif hy[swin] deade men terað [L. laceraverint]. a1050 78 Terende weleras his he gefremð yfel. a1200 274 (Lamb.) Þeor beð naddren and snaken..Þa tereð and freteð þe uuele speken. a1400 (Bodl.) 5969 Hij ne shulle hem wiþ tooþ tere. c1440 viii. 91 To tere her skynnes bothe. 1526 Mark ix. f. lvijv As sone as the sprete sawe him, he tare him. 1574 J. Baret R 167 All his body is rent or torne, laceratus est toto corpore. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil 116 Their defenceless Limbs, the Brambles tear . View more context for this quotation 1743 P. Francis tr. Horace iv. 3 Thou Wretch, whose Back with flagrant Whips is torn. 1813 J. Thomson 207 In wounds, in which the divided surfaces are much torn or bruised. 1875 T. Seaton 96 To avoid tearing the wood when cutting against the grain. 3. c1000 v. (1849) 46 Ne ðu hine ne tæl ne ne ter mid wordum. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane f. cxxij The members of the churche tone a sondre. 1597 W. Shakespeare iii. iii. 82 Though you thinke that all as you haue done Haue torne their soules. View more context for this quotation 1603 W. Shakespeare iii. ii. 10 To heare a rebustious periwig fellow, To teare a passion in totters. 1609 D iij A Rogue..so tearing the sence, I neuer met with. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil 92 Nor, when contending Kindred tear the Crown, Will set up one, or pull another down. View more context for this quotation 1779 No. 21. ⁋2 My sneezing..which, she said, tore her poor nerves in pieces. 1845 S. Austin tr. L. von Ranke III. 113 Christendom itself was torn with divisions. 1908 24 Mar. 6 He, too, tears his finish, while he still has his old fault. society > faith > worship > sacrilege > blasphemy > blaspheme [verb (intransitive)] c1325 Song of Mercy 150 in (1862) 123 We stunt noþer for schame ne drede To teren vr god from top to to. c1386 G. Chaucer 146 It is grisly for to heere hem swere Oure blissed lordes body they to-tere.] 1539 C. Tunstall (1823) 80 The tearynge of goddis name, and particular mention of all the woundes and peynes that Christe suffered for vs. 1557 F. Seager xi. C vij What better art thou for this thy swearyng Blasfamouslye, the name of god tearyng? a1624 Bp. M. Smith (1632) 126 Did not the Spaniards sweare, and curse, and teare God? the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > loudness > make a loud sound or noise [verb (transitive)] > assail the ears or air 1597 W. Shakespeare ii. i. 206 Els would I teare the Caue where Eccho lies..With repetition of my Romeos name. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) v. iii. 152 To teare with Thunder the wide Cheekes a' th' Ayre. View more context for this quotation 1671 J. Milton 1472 What noise or shout was that? it tore the Skie. View more context for this quotation 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil 142 All her fellow Nymphs the Mountains tear With loud Laments. View more context for this quotation 1823 C. Lamb Praise of Chimney-sweepers in 259 A shout that tore the concave. the mind > emotion > suffering > suffer mental pain [verb (intransitive)] the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > cause anguish to or torment [verb (transitive)] 1666 J. Bunyan §46 Now was I tore and rent in heavy case for many days together. 1720 A. Pope tr. Homer VI. xxii. 526 Grief tears his Heart. 1859 A. Helps New Ser. I. i. 28 That man torn by domestic affliction. 1872 W. Black xi The young man is torn asunder with doubts and fears. 1898 F. P. Dunne 47 They say th' Spanyards is all tore up about it. 1950 R. Moore 240 Jeb, poor lamb, he was so tore out about you that he never said nothing. 1956 ‘B. Holiday’ & W. Dufty xiii. 132 The few I did see when they came back tore me apart. One night..a kid came in to see me... His hair had turned completely white. 1972 24 June 9/1 Robert A. Power, who said he was tore up from work in his younger days and was ‘no good now to trade and no good to sell.’ 1974 K. Millett (1975) iii. 323 Pete is too delicate to pattern. Tears him up just to hear Winnie yell. the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > state of uncertainty, suspense > be in suspense [verb (intransitive)] > hesitate between alternatives 1871 L. W. M. Lockhart I. viii. 148 Torn between her desire to underrate Eila and to preserve her own dignity. 1888 Mrs. H. Ward III. v. xxxv. 110 Agnes, torn between her interest in what was going on and her desire to get back to her mother, had at last hurriedly accepted this Mrs. Sherwood's offer. 1922 T. Wolfe (1956) ii. 31 The girl Laura, ‘torn between’ (as the saying goes) love for her beaten father and the blunt young apple grower. 1948 A. Paton ii. viii. 172 Jarvis was torn between compassion and irritation, and he stood and watched uncomfortably. 1971 ‘G. Charles’ iii. 104 As usual in such cases he was torn between both sides, angry with Dorn for his patronage of the couple, impatient with them for being what they were. the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > fail or be unsuccessful [verb (intransitive)] > fail to reach goal or objective 1909 ‘I. Hay’ xvii. 320 ‘I've fairly torn it, this time!’ he reflected morosely. a1918 W. Owen in (1920) 22 First wave we are, first ruddy wave; that's tore it. 1919 War Slang in 29 Aug. 822/2 A much more popular and pregnant expression than ‘knock the end in’ is ‘that's torn it’. 1924 R. Kipling (1926) 258 I expect I must 'ave kept carryin' on, till Headquarters give me that wire from Ma... That wire tore it. 1938 G. Greene (1947) 77 ‘I am English,’ Mr. Calloway said. Even that didn't tear it. 1954 M. Procter vi. iii. 180 He looked at his watch. ‘That's torn it,’ he said. 1960 D. Lessing v. 185 Oh, my God, that tears it, if he's going to start. 1972 D. Delman (1973) iv. 110 ‘Ouch,’ she said, grinning... ‘Well, that tears that, doesn't it?’ society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > perform music [verb (intransitive)] > specific style or technique > in jazz 1932 J. Dos Passos 270 Bud had been tearing things up at the University and was on the edge of getting fired. 1955 N. Shapiro & N. Hentoff 204 He had the first big colored band that hit the road and tore it up. 1963 14 Mar. 478/3 The trumpeter Wild Bill Davison, who ‘tore it up’ with admirable primitivity and sensuality. 1968 Sept. 8 Finally Tina came on and tore the joint up. She signified, the women identified and the men just drooled. society > authority > punishment > [verb (transitive)] the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > criticism > criticize [verb (transitive)] > severely 1938 M. K. Rawlings xxix. 381 I'll tear down all two of you. Now git down and pick up ever' one o' them peas and wash 'em off. 1978 I. B. Singer vii. 128 The insolence of a writer tearing down a piece before it's been performed! 1953 1 Jan. 13/2 Carefully tear apart your editorial. 1977 ‘C. Aird’ xv. 176 Somebody was ready to tear the place apart. You should have seen Miss Moleyn's house. the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [verb (intransitive)] > suffer from frenzy or raging OE 281 He þa lungre gefeoll freorig to foldan, ongan his feax teran, hreoh on mode, ond his hrægl somod. c1330 100 He tar the her of hed and berd. 1490 W. Caxton tr. (1885) i. 34 He..wrange his handes, and pulled his berde, and tare alle his heres. 1580 J. Lyly (new ed.) f. 78v Hee tare his haire, rent his clothes. 1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite i, in 20 He roar'd, he beat his Breast, he tore his Hair. 1848 W. M. Thackeray li. 462 She might tear her long hair and cry her great eyes out. 1855 W. M. Thackeray ix Bulbo began to cry bitterly, and tore quantities of hair out of his head. 5. the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > remove or take away > forcibly tear off or away the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > pull out or up > violently tear out or up 1297 (Rolls) App. XX. 188 Hare fon come þere, Adoun of his hors henri hi tere Mid yrene crokes. a1400 (a1325) (Trin. Cambr.) l. 9072 My kyngis robe of me ȝe tere. c1400 7315 That men ne may in no manere Teren the wolf out of his hide. c1515 Ld. Berners tr. (1882–7) lv. 188 He..tare of helmes & strake out braynes. c1540 (?a1400) 1966 I shuld tere out þi tunge and þi tethe euyn. 1590 E. Spenser ii. x. sig. Y The noble braunch from th'antique stocke was torne Through discord. 1614 W. Raleigh i. ii. xxiii. §2. 563 A great earth-quake, which did teare downe halfe an Hill. 1647 H. More i. ii. cxxix The tallest trees up by the root ytorn. 1647 H. More i. iii. App. xvii Sith unwillingly they were ytore From their dear carkasses their fate they rue. 1667 A. Wood (1892) II. 121 I find many leaves..toren out. 1699 W. Dampier iii. vi. 67 By tearing up the Trees by the Roots. 1704 J. Swift Full Acct. Battel between Bks. in 248 Who had tore off his Title-page. 1705 J. Addison tr. Lucan in 7 Ships, from their Anchors torn. 1821 W. Scott III. xv. 298 I could tear out mine own eyes for their blindness! 1849 T. B. Macaulay I. iii. 387 The porters..tore down the placards in which the scheme was announced. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. VIII. 872 They [molluscan tumours] may be easily torn out of the skin when mature. 1574 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara 502 Dispitefull words that..breake hir heart, & teare the teares out of hir eyes. 1600 W. Shakespeare iii. ii. 288 What, will you teare Impatient answeres, from my gentle tongue? View more context for this quotation 1647 T. May i. vii. 77 If a King will suffer men to be torne from him, he shall never have any good service done him. 1797 A. Radcliffe I. i. 5 At length he tore himself away. 1829 E. Bulwer-Lytton II. ii. ii. 34 I think I see her now, as she stood the moment after I had torn myself from her embrace. 1888 J. Payn II. ii. 27 Before the gentlemen come in and tear you away from me. 1941 S. J. Baker 76 Tear off a piece, to coit with a woman. 1951 S. Longstreet iv. v. 222 Look, you come down and tear off a piece anytime. And the wine—Asti Spumante—she is ona me. I stand the wine. The girls, that is up to you. 1970 G. Greer 265 The vocabulary of impersonal sex is peculiarly desolating. Who wants to ‘tear off a piece of ass?’ 1977 Nov. 67/2 Italian wives must sit and suffer if the men tear off a bit on the sly. the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (intransitive)] the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (intransitive)] > make a tear the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (transitive)] 1526 W. Bonde iii. sig. XXXi Ye, and many mo sorowes dyd teare & thryll throwe her hert. 1848 W. E. Burton 25 (Farmer) They..kept on tearin at each other like a pack o' wolves. 1869 A. J. Evans xxxi. 432 His hands, partially confined, were tearing at the inflamed flesh. 1526 W. Bonde iii. sig. XXXiiii His handes and fete dyd rent and teare, for the weyght of his blessed body. 1679 J. Moxon I. ix. 155 The Boards will Tear or Shake, w[h]ich is in Vulgar English, Split or Crack. 1723 J. Clarke tr. I. i. xxvii. 229 Cloths and other Stuffs of this Colour must tear and wear sooner than those of any other Colour. 1776 W. Withering (1796) III. 352 Veil before the capsule swells, 4-sided; afterwards it tears into 2, 3, or 4 segments. 1838 Drummond in 2 156 If attempted to be restored without..being first damped, the specimen tears through the middle. 1866 C. Kingsley I. vi. 169 All of a sudden..the clouds rose, tore up into ribands, and..blew clean away. II. Senses relating to violent speech or motion. the mind > emotion > excitement > riotous excitement > behave with riotous excitement [verb (intransitive)] the mind > emotion > anger > manifestation of anger > show anger [verb (intransitive)] > speak angrily the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > blustering or bravado > bluster [verb (intransitive)] the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry or shout [verb (intransitive)] > with rage 1602 B. Jonson iii. iv. sig. Fv He will teach thee to teare and rand, Rascall; to him. View more context for this quotation 1673 J. Dryden iii. i. 34 Three Tailors..who were tearing out as loud as ever they could sing. c1690 S. C. Further Quæries Pres. State New Eng. in (1868) I. 207 Towns..which Rant and Tear at a great rate, because of a small Rate, not exceeding a score of Pounds. 1736 R. Ainsworth (1783) at Tear To rant, or tear along, tumultuor, debacchor, vociferationibus vias incessu implere. 1853 W. M. Thackeray i. 31 He goes through life, tearing, like a man possessed with a devil. 1897 G. Bartram v. 132 She stamped and foamed, and swore and tore. 9. the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > move swiftly in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > move with impetuous speed a1627 T. Middleton & W. Rowley (1656) v. 61 The nimble Fencer this that made me tear And traverse bout the Chamber. 1638 J. Suckling v. 37 (stage direct.) Enter, tearing in, Pasithas. 1779 F. Burney Let. Nov. in (1994) III. 416 I cannot bear to see Othello tearing about in that violent manner. 1786 S. Henley tr. W. Beckford 56 I thought I heard..the shrieks of a thousand bats, tearing from their crannies. 1842 W. M. Thackeray ix Edward came tearing down to the borders on the news. 1877 A. B. Edwards vi. 142 The boat tears on before the wind. 1894 G. M. Fenn I. 43 This river tore down the narrow valley with headlong violence. 1901 H. Furniss I. iii. 79 The animals snorted..and..tore off..at a tremendous rate. 1853 C. Kingsley II. xiv. 328 Furiously..he burst up as if from the ground..tearing his way toward his idol. 1888 Mrs. H. Ward I. i. x. 282 A little gully deep in bracken, up which the blast was tearing its tempestuous way. (a) 1901 M. Franklin xxxvi. 301 ‘Syb, I want to speak to you.’.. ‘Very well; “tear into it”,’ as Horace would say. 1929 W. J. Smyth xiii. 131 ‘Three notes a man if we win out!’.. ‘Aw, make it five an' we'll tear into th' job.’ 1949 R. Harvey 8 Then the lights went down, the baton rapped sharply, and the orchestra tore into the overture. 1961 J. B. Priestley ii. 12 I tore into the business of getting visas. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online June 2022). tearv.2 Now rare. †1. the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > weep [verb (intransitive)] c950 John xi. 35 Tæherende [Rushw. teherende] uæs se hælend. c1430 (1869) ii. li. 95 I bigan to tere and to weepe and to sigh. 1599 T. Moffett 9 Its mother..Who absent blear'd and tear'd as much for him. a1660 in J. T. Gilbert (1880) II. 60 Eneas himself..too often teared for the losse of Troye. 1719 Hamilton in (1832) 694 Some of them were so affected that they teared also. 1806 J. Cock 103 I fell in wi' Geordy Brown, And he, poor saul, was tearin'! the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > weep for [verb (transitive)] > spend or consume in weeping 1575 G. Gascoigne iii I teare my time (ay me) in prison pent. the world > life > the body > organs of excretion > lachrymal organs > flow [verb (intransitive)] > of eyes: shed or emit tears the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > weep [verb (intransitive)] > shed tears (of the eyes) c1000 [implied in: I. 72 Wið tyrende eagan, genim þa ylcan wyrte betonican. (at tearing adj.2)]. 1527 [implied in: L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig sig. Civv The same is good put in the iyen agaynst tering iyen. (at tearing adj.2)]. 1650 in A. I. Ritchie (1880) 86 Putting sneishen in his eyes to mak them tear. 1879 [implied in: 9 778 A white spot formed on the cornea, along with much ‘tearing’ and ‘fear of light’. (at tearing n.2)]. 1971 E. Shorris i. 16 When your eyes teared and your head fell, I was afraid you were dying. 1980 J. Ball (1981) vi. 47 When her eyes teared again, he pulled out his own clean handkerchief. the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > make wet [verb (transitive)] > with or as with tears a1653 Z. Boyd (1855) 112 Feare teares your eyes. 18.. 37 545 (Cent. Dict.) The lorn lily teared with dew. Draft additions December 2021Phrasal verbs to tear up the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > weep [verb (intransitive)] > shed tears (of the eyes) the world > life > the body > organs of excretion > lachrymal organs > flow [verb (intransitive)] > of person: shed tears 1941 H. Hedrick iv. ii. 260 ‘I'll be glad to do anything—anything. I've laid away one husband—’ the white handkerchief dabbed at her nose, the blue eyes teared up. 1977 31 Jan. (caption) 54 [He] wept three times in three days before the election... He teared up again during his recent State of the Union address. 2018 17 Apr. 26/2 At Heathrow arrivals, I find myself tearing up as I watch people greet each other. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022). > see alsoalso refers to : tear-comb. form < |
