cearu

Old English

Alternative forms

• caru

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *karō (“care, sorrow, cry”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“to shout, call”) (compare Latin garriō (“chatter”) and Old Irish gairid (“call”)). Cognate with Old Saxon kara, Old High German chara (“grief”), Old Norse kǫr (“sickbed”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍂𐌰 (kara). Related to ċeariġ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkæɑ̯ru/

Noun

cearu f (nominative plural ċeare)

1. suffering, sorrow, grief
   • The Wanderer, ll. 8–9:

     Oft iċ sċeolde āna ūhtna gehwylċe / mīne ċeare cwīþan

     Often I had alone to speak of my trouble each morning before dawn.

2. anxiety
3. care, caution
   • Beowulf, ll. 1303–04:

     Cearu wæs ġenīwod / ġeworden in wīcum

     Care had been renewed in the dwellings.

Declension

Declension of cearu (strong ō-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	cearu	ceara, ceare
accusative	ceare	ceara, ceare
genitive	ceare	ceara
dative	ceare	cearum

Derived terms

• ċearful
• ċeariġ
• ċearseld
• ċearwylm
• ūhtcearu

Descendants

• English: care