dear

Meaning

Adj

1. (Ireland, UK) High in price; expensive.
2. Loved; lovable.
3. Lovely; kind.
4. Loving, affectionate, heartfelt
5. Precious to or greatly valued by someone.
6. A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.
7. A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
8. An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior or someone one dislikes.
9. (obsolete) Noble.

Noun

1. A very kind, loving person.
2. A beloved person.
3. An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife.
4. An elderly person, especially a woman.

Verb

To endear.

Adv

Dearly; at a high price.

Intj

Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.

Synonyms

beloved

darling

expensive

💰

precious

costly

sweetheart

valuable

loved

desired

favourite

love

❤️

high-priced

cherished

sweetie

pricey

lovely

intimate

dearly

dearest

honey

🍯

esteemed

sweet

liked

close

good

👍

respected

adorable

affectionately

nice

fond

pet

one’s beloved

affectionate

lover

❤️

baby

👶

lamb

🐑

welcome

babe

loved one

heartfelt

boyfriend

kind

girlfriend

dearie

cute

near

favorite

loving

missed

honourable

Translations

cher

caro

teuer

💰

lieb

querido

coûteux

💰

caro

caro

estimat

duur

💰

querido

costoso

car

💰

carus

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪə/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: dere

Inherited from Old English: dīere

Cognate with Scots: dere

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: djuur

Cognate with Dutch: duur

Cognate with German: teuer

Cognate with Danish: dyr

Cognate with Swedish: dyr

Cognate with Norwegian: dyr

Cognate with Icelandic: dýr

Cognate with Yiddish: טייַער

Inherited from Old English: dēor

In summary

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”).

Sentences

What is it , dear ?