Coffee has initially been a food – chewed, not sipped. Early African tribes consume coffee by grinding the berries together, adding some animal fat, and rolling the treats into tiny edible energy balls.
DEAR
dear, good, near
(adjective) with or in a close or intimate relationship; “a good friend”; “my sisters and brothers are near and dear”
costly, dear, high-priced, pricey, pricy
(adjective) having a high price; “costly jewelry”; “high-priced merchandise”; “much too dear for my pocketbook”; “a pricey restaurant”
beloved, darling, dear
(adjective) dearly loved
dear, devout, earnest, heartfelt
(adjective) sincerely earnest; “one’s dearest wish”; “devout wishes for their success”; “heartfelt condolences”
dearly, dear
(adverb) at a great cost; “he paid dearly for the food”; “this cost him dear”
dearly, affectionately, dear
(adverb) with affection; “she loved him dearly”; “he treats her affectionately”
beloved, dear, dearest, honey, love
(noun) a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
lamb, dear
(noun) a sweet innocent mild-mannered person (especially a child)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Adjective
dear (comparative dearer, superlative dearest)
(generally dated) High in price; expensive.
Loved; lovable.
Loving, affectionate, heartfelt
Precious to or greatly valued by someone.
A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.
A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior.
(obsolete) Noble.
Noun
dear (plural dears)
A very kind, loving person.
A beloved person.
An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife.
Synonyms
• (kind loving person): darling
Verb
dear (third-person singular simple present dears, present participle dearing, simple past and past participle deared)
(obsolete) To endear.
Adverb
dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)
dearly; at a high price
Interjection
dear
Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.
Etymology 2
Adjective
dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)
Severe, or severely affected; sore.
(obsolete) Fierce.
Anagrams
• 'eard, DARE, Dare, Rade, Read, Reda, ared, dare, rade, read
Proper noun
Dear (plural Dears)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Dear is the 8906th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 3677 individuals. Dear is most common among White (66.9%) and Black/African American (24.29%) individuals.
Anagrams
• 'eard, DARE, Dare, Rade, Read, Reda, ared, dare, rade, read
Source: Wiktionary
Dear, a. [Compar. Dearer; superl. Dearest.] Etym: [OE. dere, deore, AS. deĂłre; akin to OS. diuri, D. duur, OHG. tiuri, G. theuer, teuer, Icel. d, Dan. & Sw. dyr. Cf. Darling, Dearth.]
1. Bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive. The cheapest of us is ten groats too dear. Shak.
2. Marked by scarcity or dearth, and exorbitance of price; as, a dear year.
3. Highly valued; greatly beloved; cherished; precious. "Hear me, dear lady." Shak. Neither count I my life dear unto myself. Acts xx. 24. And the last joy was dearer than the rest. Pope. Dear as remember'd kisses after death. Tennyson.
4. Hence, close to the heart; heartfelt; present in mind; engaging the attention. (a) Of agreeable things and interests. [I'll] leave you to attend him: some dear cause Will in concealment wrap me up awhile. Shak. His dearest wish was to escape from the bustle and glitter of Whitehall. Macaulay. (b) Of disagreeable things and antipathies. In our dear peril. Shak. Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven Or ever I had seen that day. Shak.
Dear, n.
Definition: A dear one; lover; sweetheart. That kiss I carried from thee, dear. Shak.
Dear, adv.
Definition: Dearly; at a high price. If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear. Shak.
Dear, v. t.
Definition: To endear. [Obs.] Shelton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
25 April 2024
TYPIFY
(verb) embody the essential characteristics of or be a typical example of; “The fugue typifies Bach’s style of composition”
Coffee Trivia
