dear

The dearer the jewel, the greater the love expressed.

There's more depends on this than on the value.
The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,
And find it out by proclamation:
Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

This water is sold for 50 cents per ton, which is not dear under the circumstances.

1902, Briquettes as Fuel in Foreign Countries (report of the United States Bureau of Foreign Commerce)

Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear.

1966, The Beatles (lyrics and music), “When I'm Sixty-Four”:

"Yes, children dear, wait a bit till it turns itself," she answered - she ought to have said "till I turn it"[.]

1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 62:

So this was my future home, I thought![…]Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.

1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

"We shall have to put up with whitebait. And, of course, a dear little chicken with peas and roast potatoes."

1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 129:

"I've never met the kind of man I mean." "Tell me about him. What does he look like?" "Oh, he might look very much like you." "How dear of you to say that!"

1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

Such dear embrace tenderly comforts even in this dear sorrow.

The dearer the giver, the dearer the trinket he brings!

[…] dear as sacramental wine
To dying lips is all he said […].

1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XXXVII, page 58:

Precious to or greatly valued by someone.

Dear Sir/Madam/Miss, please notice our offices will be closed during the following bank holidays:[…].

A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.

My dear friend, I feel better as soon as you come sit beside my sickbed!

“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.

My dear man, you ought to think twice about who you're trying to blackmail.

An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior or someone one dislikes.

en-adj

dear (comparative dearer or more dear, superlative dearest or most dear)

dearer (comparative)
more dear (comparative)
dearest (superlative)
most dear (superlative)

թանկ

precious to or greatly valued by someone

(used in translations) 親愛なる (しんあいなる, shin'ai-naru)

tcher (often under French-borrowed "chér")

عَزِيز

an informal way of addressing the recipient in a letter's opening line

(used in translations) 親愛なる (しんあいなる, shin'ai naru)

beste

a formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly

(mijn) beste

an ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior

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”).


dear

My little cousin is such a dear, always drawing me pictures.

Pass me the salt, would you dear?

An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife.


dear

Nor should a Sonne his Sire loue for reward, But for he is his Sire, in nature dear’d.

1603, John Davies of Hereford, Microcosmos:

I should have known no less: It hath been taught us from the primal state That he which is was wished until he were; And the ebbed man, ne'er loved till ne'er worth love, Comes deared by being lacked.

1623, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra:

Nay, hide him in thy house, and also show Such deared love to him, as to delight In his base company both day and night?

1679, Benjamin Keach, The Glorious Lover, page 164:

en-verb

dear (third-person singular simple present dears, present participle dearing, simple past and past participle deared)

dears (present singular third-person)
dearing (participle present)
deared (participle past)
deared (past)


dear

If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear.

c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

en-adv

dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)

more dear (comparative)
most dear (superlative)


dear

Dear, dear! Whatever were they thinking?

Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.


dear

The Christens found the heathens dear, as the lion doth the bear.

From Middle English dere (“fierce, severe, hard, deadly”), from Old English dēor, dȳr (“brave, bold; severe, dire, vehement”), from Proto-Germanic *deuzaz. Cognate with the above.


dear

head

dear (present analytic dearann, future analytic dearfaidh, verbal noun dearadh, past participle deartha)

dearann (analytic present)
dearfaidh (analytic future)
dearadh (noun-from-verb)
deartha (participle past)
dearaim (first-person indicative present singular)
dearann tú (indicative present second-person singular)
dearair (indicative present second-person singular)
dearann sé (indicative present singular third-person)
sí (indicative present singular third-person)
dearaimid (first-person indicative plural present)
dearann sibh (indicative plural present second-person)
dearann siad (indicative plural present third-person)
dearaid (indicative plural present third-person)
a dhearann (indicative present relative)
a dhearas (indicative present relative)
a ndearann (indicative present relative)
deartar (autonomous indicative present)
dhear mé (first-person indicative past singular)
dhearas (first-person indicative past singular)
dhear tú (indicative past second-person singular)
dhearais (indicative past second-person singular)
dhear sé (indicative past singular third-person)
sí (indicative past singular third-person)
dhearamar (first-person indicative past plural)
dhear muid (first-person indicative past plural)
dhear sibh (indicative past plural second-person)
dhearabhair (indicative past plural second-person)
dhear siad (indicative past plural third-person)
dhearadar (indicative past plural third-person)
a dhear (indicative past relative)
ar dhear (indicative past relative)
dearadh (autonomous indicative past)
dhearainn (first-person habitual indicative past singular)
ndearainn‡‡ (first-person habitual indicative past singular)
dheartá (habitual indicative past second-person singular)
ndeartá‡‡ (habitual indicative past second-person singular)
dhearadh sé (habitual indicative past singular third-person)
sí (habitual indicative past singular third-person)
ndearadh sé (habitual indicative past singular third-person)
sí‡‡ (habitual indicative past singular third-person)
dhearaimis (first-person habitual indicative past plural)
dhearadh muid (first-person habitual indicative past plural)
ndearaimis‡‡ (first-person habitual indicative past plural)
ndearadh muid‡‡ (first-person habitual indicative past plural)
dhearadh sibh (habitual indicative past plural second-person)
ndearadh sibh‡‡ (habitual indicative past plural second-person)
dhearaidís (habitual indicative past plural third-person)
dhearadh siad (habitual indicative past plural third-person)
ndearaidís‡‡ (habitual indicative past plural third-person)
ndearadh siad‡‡ (habitual indicative past plural third-person)
a dhearadh (habitual indicative past relative)
a ndearadh (habitual indicative past relative)
dheartaí (autonomous habitual indicative past)
ndeartaí‡‡ (autonomous habitual indicative past)
dearfaidh mé (first-person future singular)
dearfad (first-person future singular)
dearfaidh tú (future second-person singular)
dearfair (future second-person singular)
dearfaidh sé (future singular third-person)
sí (future singular third-person)
dearfaimid (first-person future plural)
dearfaidh muid (first-person future plural)
dearfaidh sibh (future plural second-person)
dearfaidh siad (future plural third-person)
dearfaid (future plural third-person)
a dhearfaidh (future relative)
a dhearfas (future relative)
a ndearfaidh (future relative)
dearfar (autonomous future)
dhearfainn (conditional first-person singular)
ndearfainn‡‡ (conditional first-person singular)
dhearfá (conditional second-person singular)
ndearfá‡‡ (conditional second-person singular)
dhearfadh sé (conditional singular third-person)
sí (conditional singular third-person)
ndearfadh sé (conditional singular third-person)
sí‡‡ (conditional singular third-person)
dhearfaimis (conditional first-person plural)
dhearfadh muid (conditional first-person plural)
ndearfaimis‡‡ (conditional first-person plural)
ndearfadh muid‡‡ (conditional first-person plural)
dhearfadh sibh (conditional plural second-person)
ndearfadh sibh‡‡ (conditional plural second-person)
dhearfaidís (conditional plural third-person)
dhearfadh siad (conditional plural third-person)
ndearfaidís‡‡ (conditional plural third-person)
ndearfadh siad‡‡ (conditional plural third-person)
a dhearfadh (conditional relative)
a ndearfadh (conditional relative)
dhearfaí (autonomous conditional)
ndearfaí‡‡ (autonomous conditional)
go ndeara mé (first-person present singular subjunctive)
go ndearad (first-person present singular subjunctive)
go ndeara tú (present second-person singular subjunctive)
go ndearair (present second-person singular subjunctive)
go ndeara sé (present singular subjunctive third-person)
sí (present singular subjunctive third-person)
go ndearaimid (first-person plural present subjunctive)
go ndeara muid (first-person plural present subjunctive)
go ndeara sibh (plural present second-person subjunctive)
go ndeara siad (plural present subjunctive third-person)
go ndearaid (plural present subjunctive third-person)
go ndeartar (autonomous present subjunctive)
dá ndearainn (first-person past singular subjunctive)
dá ndeartá (past second-person singular subjunctive)
dá ndearadh sé (past singular subjunctive third-person)
sí (past singular subjunctive third-person)
dá ndearaimis (first-person past plural subjunctive)
dá ndearadh muid (first-person past plural subjunctive)
dá ndearadh sibh (past plural second-person subjunctive)
dá ndearaidís (past plural subjunctive third-person)
dá ndearadh siad (past plural subjunctive third-person)
dá ndeartaí (autonomous past subjunctive)
dearaim (first-person imperative singular)
dear (imperative second-person singular)
dearadh sé (imperative singular third-person)
sí (imperative singular third-person)
dearaimis (first-person imperative plural)
dearaigí (imperative plural second-person)
dearaidh (imperative plural second-person)
dearaidís (imperative plural third-person)
deartar (autonomous imperative)
dearadh (noun-from-verb)
deartha (participle past)
dear
dhear
ndear


dear

Hea marreet dear Phielim to his sweet Jauane.

1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 94:

He married dear Phelim to his sweet Joan.

From Middle English dere, from Old English dīere, from Proto-West Germanic *diurī.