dear

Meaning

1. 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.

beloved

one’s beloved

wished for

dear one

my dear

dear to the heart

of great price

wished-for

sweet mother

Good gracious

affection

in possession of

adoring one

much-esteemed

my darling

dearly beloved

highly-priced

high-ticket

macushla

over-priced

high in cost

of great value

of high value

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪə/

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”).