teer

See also: Teer and tẽer

English

Verb

teer (third-person singular simple present teers, present participle teering, simple past and past participle teered)

1. (transitive) To stir, as a calico-printer's sieve.

Anagrams

• TREE, Tree, reet, rete, tree

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /teːr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eːr

Etymology 1

Noun

teer m or n (uncountable)

1. tar

Derived terms

-general:

• teerketel
• teerkorst
• teerkwast
• teerolie
• teervuur
• teerwater
• teerzalf
• teerzeep
• teerzuur

 

-types of tar:

• bergteer
• bruinkoolteer
• houtteer
• koolteer
• mineraalteer
• steenkoolteer
• turfteer

 

Descendants

• Berbice Creole Dutch: tere
• Negerhollands: taer
• → Caribbean Javanese: tir
• → Indonesian: ter

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch teer, contraction of teder, teeder, from Old Dutch *tidar, from Proto-Germanic *tidaraz. Doublet of teder. Cognate to Middle English teere.

Adjective

teer (comparative teerder, superlative teerst)

1. tender, delicate

Usage notes

• Teer tends to be used in sense of “easily damaged”, while the doublet teder is used in the sense of “fond, gentle”. For example, een tere gezondheid (“a delicate health”), but een teder moment (“a tender moment”).

Declension

Declension of teer
uninflected	teer
inflected	tere
comparative	teerder
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		teer	teerder	het teerst het teerste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	tere	teerdere	teerste
	n. sing.	teer	teerder	teerste
	plural	tere	teerdere	teerste
definite		tere	teerdere	teerste
partitive		teers	teerders	—

Descendants

• Negerhollands: teer, teeri

Noun

teer m (uncountable)

1. tenderness

Etymology 3

Verb

teer

1. inflection of teren:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Etymology 4

Over time, teer was also used to refer to tuberculosis, analogously to English consumption.

Noun

teer m (uncountable)

1. the act of digesting or being consumed
2. tuberculosis

Etymology 5

From Middle Dutch tree, from Old Dutch *trio, *treo, from Proto-West Germanic *treu, from Proto-Germanic *trewą (“tree, wood”), from pre-Germanic *dréwom, thematic e-grade derivative of Proto-Indo-European *dóru (“tree”). Cognate with English tree, Danish træ.

Noun

teer m (plural teren, diminutive teertje n)

1. (obsolete) tree (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

Related terms

• appelteer, elzenteer

Anagrams

• eert, eter, reet, tere, tree

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

teer

1. singular imperative of teeren
2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of teeren

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English tēar, tǣr, tæhher, teagor, from Proto-West Germanic *tahr.

Alternative forms

• teere, ter, tere
• tær, tear (Early Middle English)
• tyer, tyear, tyar (Kent)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɛːr/

Noun

teer (plural teres or teren)

1. A tear (drop of liquid from the eyes):
   1. A tear as a symptom of disease or injury.
   2. An emotionally-triggered tear (e.g. ecstasy, remorse, sadness, sympathy)
2. A drop of liquid resembling a teardrop.
3. (figuratively) The feeling of teariness or distress.

Usage notes

This noun usually appears in the plural, which is usually teres; teren is early and rare.

Related terms

• teren
• tery

Descendants

• English: tear
• Middle Scots: tear, tere, teir, tichwr, tychir
  • Scots: tear, taer, tare, teir

References

• “tēr(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-25.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle Dutch têer, alternative form of têder, têeder (whence modern Dutch teder), from Old Dutch *tidar, from Proto-Germanic *tidaraz.

Alternative forms

• teere, ter, tere

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɛːr/

Adjective

teer

1. Of good quality or manners.

Descendants

• English: tear, tare (“good flax”) (obsolete)

References

• “tēr, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-25.

Etymology 3

Noun

teer

1. Alternative form of ter (“tar”)

Etymology 4

Verb

teer

1. Alternative form of teren (“to ruin by removing or splitting”)

Swedish

Noun

teer

1. indefinite plural of te

Anagrams

• eter