bear

bear · noun, verb, adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰerH-der.?
2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰerH-
3. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰwer-
4. Proto-Germanic*berô
5. Proto-West Germanic*berō
6. Old Englishbera
7. Middle Englishbere
8. English todaybear

From Middle English bere, from Old English bera, from Proto-West Germanic *berō, from Proto-Germanic *berô (“bear”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian beer (“bear”), Saterland Frisian Boar, Boare (“bear”), West Frisian bear (“bear”), Cimbrian and Mòcheno per (“bear”), Dutch beer (“bear”), German Bär (“bear”), German Low German Boor (“bear”), Limburgish baer, Béër (“bear”), Luxembourgish Bier (“bear”), Vilamovian baor, bar (“bear”), West Flemish beir (“bear”), Yiddish בער (ber, “bear”), Danish, Faroese, and Norwegian Bokmål bjørn (“bear”), Icelandic and Swedish björn (“bear”), Norwegian Nynorsk bjøinn, bjønn, bjørn (“bear”), Gothic *𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰 (*baira, “bear”). etymology notes This is generally taken to be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“shining, brown”) (compare Tocharian A parno, Tocharian B perne (“radiant, luminous”), Lithuanian bė́ras (“brown”)), related to brown, bruin, and beaver. On this theory, the Germanic languages replaced the older name of the bear, *h₂ŕ̥tḱos, with the epithet "brown one", presumably due to taboo avoidance; compare Russian медве́дь (medvédʹ, “bear”, literally “honey-eater”). However, Ringe (2006:106) doubts the existence of a root *bʰer- meaning "brown" ("an actual PIE word of [the requisite] shape and meaning is not recoverable") and suggests that a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwer- (“wild animal”) "should therefore perhaps be preferred", implying a Germanic merger of *ǵʰw and *gʷʰ (*gʷʰ may sometimes result in Germanic *b, perhaps e.g. in *bidjaną, but it also seems to have given the g in gun and the w in warm).

bear · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰéreti
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*beraną
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*beran
4. Old English · inherited fromberan“to carry, bear, bring”
5. Middle English · inherited fromberen“carry, bring forth”
6. English todaybear

From Middle English beren (“carry, bring forth”), from Old English beran (“to carry, bear, bring”), from Proto-West Germanic *beran, from Proto-Germanic *beraną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti, from *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”). Akin to Old High German beran (“carry”), Dutch baren, Danish bære, Norwegian Bokmål bære, Norwegian Nynorsk bera, German gebären, Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (bairan), Sanskrit भरति (bharati), Latin ferō, and Ancient Greek φέρω (phérō), Albanian bie (“to bring, to bear”), Russian брать (bratʹ, “to take”), Persian بردن (bordan, “to take, to carry”).

bear · noun³

1. Middle English · inherited frombere“pillowcase”
2. English todaybear

From Middle English bere (“pillowcase”), of obscure origin, but compare Old English hlēorbera (“cheek-cover”). Possibly cognate to Low German büre, whence German Bühre, which in turn has been compared to French bure.

Bear · proper noun⁴

* As an English surname, related to bear * As a German surname, spelling variant of Baer and Bahr

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 1579 A rough, unmannerly, uncouth person.
• 1744 An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in anticipation of a fall in prices.
• 1970s A state policeman (short for Smokey Bear).
• c. 1970 A large, hairy man, especially one who is homosexual.
• 1400 To display (a particular heraldic device) on a shield or coat of arms; to be entitled to wear or use (a heraldic device) as a coat of arms.
• 1200 To present or exhibit (a particular outward appearance); to have (a certain look).
• 1225 To have (a name, title, or designation).
• 1393 To possess or enjoy (recognition, renown, a reputation, etc.); to have (a particular price, value, or worth).