rear

English

Wikipedia

Etymology 1

Anglo-Norman rere, ultimately from Latin retro. Compare arrear.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈrɪɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes -ɪə(r)

Adjective

rear (not comparable)

1. Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear rank of a company.

Antonyms

• front

Translations

being behind, or in the hindmost part

Czech: zadní (cs) Dutch: achter (nl) Finnish: taka- (fi)

Japanese: 後ろの (ja) (ushiro no), 後方の (ja) (kōhōno) Russian: задний (ru) (zádnij)

Adverb

rear (comparative more rear, superlative most rear)

1. (UK, dialect) early; soon
   • (Can we date this quote?) John Gay.

     Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear!

Noun

rear (plural rears)

1. The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last on order; - opposed to front.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Milton

     Nipped with the lagging rear of winter's frost.

2. (military) Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Milton

     When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear.

3. (anatomy) The buttocks, a creature's bottom

Synonyms

• (buttocks): rear end

Translations

the back or hindmost part

Dutch: achterste (nl) n., achterkant (nl) m. Finnish: takaosa (fi), perä (fi), peräpää (fi) Hungarian: hátsó (hu) Italian: posteriore (it)

Japanese: 後ろ (ja) (ushiro), 後方 (ja) (kōhō) Russian: задняя часть (ru) (zádn'aja čast') f., задняя сторона (ru) (zádn'aja storoná) f. Spanish: posterior (es) m. and f.

the part of an army or fleet which comes last

Dutch: achterhoede (nl) m. and f. Finnish: takajoukko French: arrière-garde (fr) f. German: Nachhut (de) f.

Greek: οπισθοφυλακή (el) f. (opisthofylaki) Hungarian: hátvéd (hu) Italian: retroguardia (it) Japanese: (archaic) しんがり (ja) (shingari) Russian: тыл (ru) (tyl) m.

the posterior, butt(ocks)- only terms with directional notion

Dutch: achtereind (nl) n., achterste (nl) n., achterwerk (nl) n.

French: derrière (fr) m.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Arabic: خلفي (xálfi) Mandarin: 后面 (hòumian) Ewe: megbe French: arrière

Korean: 배후의 (baehu-ui) Portuguese: posterior Swedish: baksides

Verb

rear (third-person singular simple present rears, present participle rearing, simple past and past participle reared)

1. (transitive, vulgar, UK) To sodomize (perform anal sex)

Derived terms

terms derived from rear (noun)

rear admiral rear echelon rear end rear front - (military), the rear rank of a body of troops when faced about and standing in that position. rear guard rearhorse rear line - (military), the line in the rear of an army.

rearmost rearmouse rear rank - (military), the rank or line of a body of troops which is in the rear, or last in order. rear sight - (firearms), the sight nearest the breech. rearward bring up the rear - to come last or behind. rearing bit - a bit designed to prevent a horse from lifting his head when rearing.

Etymology 2

From Old English ræran

Pronunciation

Standard

• (Canada, UK) IPA: /ˈrɪɚ/
• (Irish) IPA: /rir/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes -ɪə(r)

Variant

• (Irish) IPA: /rer/
• Rhymes -ɛə(r)
• Compare rere, pronounced IPA: /rir/, a spelling variant of Etymology 1; which is still current in Ireland, and reflects the (potential) difference of pronunciation of Etymology 2.

Verb

rear (third-person singular simple present rears, present participle rearing, simple past and past participle reared)

1. (transitive) To raise physically; to lift up; to cause to rise, to elevate.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Milton

     In adoration at his feet I fell Submiss; he reared me.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Lord Lytton

     Mine [shall be] the first hand to rear her banner.

2. (transitive) To construct by building; to set up

   to rear defenses or houses

   to rear one government on the ruins of another.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Alfred Tennyson

     One reared a font of stone.

3. (transitive) To raise spiritually; to lift up; to elevate morally.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Isaac Barrow

     It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To lift and take up.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Edmund Spenser

     And having her from Trompart lightly reared, Upon his set the lovely load.

5. (transitive) To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Thomas Southerne

     He wants a father to protect his youth, and rear him up to virtue.

6. (transitive) To breed and raise; as, to rear cattle (cattle-rearing).
7. (transitive, obsolete) To rouse; to strip up.
   • (Can we date this quote?), John Dryden

     And seeks the tusky boar to rear.

8. (intransitive) To rise up on the hind legs, as a bolting horse.

Usage notes

See note under raise.

Synonyms

• (rise up on the hind legs): prance

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. Use the template {{sense|"gloss"}}, substituting a short version of the definition for "gloss".

• build
• elevate
• erect
• establish
• lift
• raise

Derived terms

• raring

Translations

to lift, raise etc. physically

Dutch: oprichten (nl), verheffen (nl) Finnish: nostaa (fi), kohottaa (fi) French: ériger (fr) German: aufrichten (de) Irish: tóg (ga) Japanese: 育てる (ja) (sodateru)

Russian: поднимать (ru) (podnimát' ) impf., поднять (ru) (podn'át') pf.; возвышать (ru) (vozvyšát') impf., возвысить (ru) (vozvýsit') pf.; возносить (ru) (voznosít') impf., вознести (ru) (vozn'estí) pf. Scottish Gaelic: tog (gd) Spanish: erigir (es)

to lift spiritually

Dutch: verheffen (nl)

French: ériger (fr)

to set up, construct

Dutch: oprichten (nl), construeren Finnish: pystyttää (fi) Japanese: そびえ立つ (ja) (sobietatsu) Russian: возводить (ru) (vozvodít' ) impf., возвести (ru) (vozv'estí) pf.; воздвигать (ru) (vozdvigát' ) impf., водвигнуть (ru) (vozdvígnut' ) pf.; сооружать (ru) (sooružát' ) impf., соорудить (ru) (soorudít' ) pf.

Scottish Gaelic: tog (gd)

to bring up to maturity

Czech: vychovat (cs) Dutch: grootbrengen (nl), opvoeden (nl) Ewe: nyi Finnish: kasvattaa (fi) French: élever (fr) German: aufziehen, erziehen, großziehen

Irish: tóg (ga) Japanese: 育てる (ja) (sodateru) Kurdish: پێگه‌یشتن, په‌روه‌رده‌ کردن Russian: воспитывать (ru) (vospítyvat’ ) impf., воспитать (ru) (vospitát’ ) pf. Scottish Gaelic: tog (gd)

to breed and raise

Dutch: kweken (nl) Finnish: kasvattaa (fi) French: élever (fr) Irish: tóg (ga)

Japanese: 育てる (ja) (sodateru), 飼育する (ja) (shiiku suru) Russian: выращивать (ru) (vyráš'ivat’) impf., вырастить (ru) (výrastit’) pf. Scottish Gaelic: tog (gd) Spanish: criar (es)

to rise on the hind legs

Dutch: steigeren (nl) Finnish: nousta takajaloilleen

Japanese: (phrase) 後ろ足立ちする (ja) (ushiro-ashi-dachi suru) Russian: вставать на дыбы

Anagrams

• rare

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Latin

Verb

rear

1. first-person singular present active subjunctive of reor

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Swedish

Verb

rear

1. present tense of rea.