bear

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A bear
A bear

Contents

[edit] English

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[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Etymology 1

From Middle English bere, from Old English bera; related to Old English brun (brown)

[edit] Noun

Singular
bear

Plural
bears

bear (plural bears)

  1. A large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and raccoon, having shaggy hair, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of family Ursidae, particularly of subfamily Ursinae.
  2. (informal) An animal that resembles a bear, such as a koala or ant bear.
  3. (finance) An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in anticipation of a fall in prices.
    Bears look for over-priced securities to sell short.
  4. (informal) A problem that is very difficult to solve.
  5. (slang) A large hairy man, especially one who is gay.

[edit] Antonyms
  • (investor who anticipates falling prices): bull

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] See also

[edit] Translations

[edit] Adjective

bear (comparative more bear, superlative most bear)

Positive
bear

Comparative
more bear

Superlative
most bear

  1. (finance, investments) Characterized by or believing to benefit of declining prices in securities markets.
    The great bear market starting in 1929 scared a whole generation of investors.

[edit] Etymology 2

From Middle English beren meaning carry and bring forth. The Old English root beran is related to Old High German beran meaning carry, Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (baíran), Latin ferre, and Greek φέρειν (pherein). These derive from the Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-.

[edit] Verb

Infinitive
to bear

Third person singular
bears

Simple past
bore, or, archaic, bare

Past participle
born, borne, or, archaic, yborn

Present participle
bearing

to bear (third-person singular simple present bears, present participle bearing, simple past bore, or, archaic, bare, past participle born, borne, or, archaic, yborn)

  1. (transitive) To carry something.
    • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 234b.
      imitations that bear the same name as the things
  2. (transitive) To be equipped with something.
    the right to bear arms
  3. (transitive) With witness, to declare as testimony.
    The jury could see he was bearing false witness.
  4. (transitive) To put up with something.
  5. (transitive) To give birth to someone or something.
    In Troy she becomes Paris' wife, bearing him several children, all of whom die in infancy.
  6. (transitive) To produce or yield something, such as fruit or crops.
  7. (intransitive) To be in a specific direction from the observer’s position.
    The harbour bears North by Northeast.

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations
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[edit] Anagrams


[edit] West Frisian

[edit] Noun

bear c. (plural bears)

  1. bear
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