care

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɛə/
• (General American) enPR: kâr, IPA^(key): /kɛ(ə)ɹ/, /ke(ə)ɹ/, [ke(ə̯)ɻ], [kɛ(ə̯)ɻ]

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

From Middle English care, from Old English caru, ċearu (“care, concern, anxiety, sorrow, grief, trouble”), from Proto-Germanic *karō (“care, sorrow, cry”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“shout, call”). Cognate with Old Saxon cara, kara (“concern, action”), Middle High German kar (“sorrow, lamentation”), Icelandic kör (“sickbed”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍂𐌰 (kara, “concern, care”). Related also to Dutch karig (“scanty”), German karg (“sparse, meagre, barren”), Latin garriō, Ancient Greek γῆρυς (gêrus). See chary.

care (countable and uncountable, plural cares)

1. (obsolete) Grief, sorrow.
   • 1485 July 31, Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], (please specify the book number), [London]: […] [by William Caxton], OCLC 71490786; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: Published by David Nutt, […], 1889, OCLC 890162034:

     , Bk.V:

     Than Feraunte his cosyn had grete care and cryed full lowde […].

   • c. 1595, William Shakespeare, Richard II, Act III, Scene ii:

     More health and happiness betide my liege / Than can my care-tuned tongue deliver him!

   • c. 1606, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II Scene ii:

     Sleep, that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care.

   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 566:

     One day, among the days, he bethought him of this and fell lamenting for that the most part of his existence was past and he had not been vouchsafed a son, to inherit the kingdom after him, even as he had inherited it from his fathers and forebears; by reason whereof there betided him sore cark and care and chagrin exceeding.

2. Close attention; concern; responsibility.

   Care should be taken when holding babies.

   • Shakespeare

     I thank thee for thy care and honest pains.

3. Worry.

   I don't have a care in the world.

4. Maintenance, upkeep.

   dental care

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 2 Corinthians 11:28:

     Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

5. The treatment of those in need (especially as a profession).
   • 2013 June 21, Karen McVeigh, “US rules human genes can't be patented”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 10:

     The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.

6. The state of being cared for by others.

   in care

7. The object of watchful attention or anxiety.
   • Spenser

     Right sorrowfully mourning her bereaved cares.

• chary

• 1925, Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), Rupert Julian (director), The Phantom of the Opera, silent movie

  ‘Have a care, Buquet—ghosts like not to be seen or talked about!’

From Middle English caren, carien, from Old English carian (“to sorrow, grieve, be troubled, be anxious, to care for, heed”), from Proto-Germanic *karōną (“to care”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵār-, *gÀr- (“voice, exclamation”). Cognate with Middle High German karn (“to complain, lament, grieve, mourn”), Alemannic German karen, kären (“to groan, wheeze, give a death rattle”), Swedish kära (“to fall in love”), Icelandic kæra (“to care, like”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍂𐍉𐌽 (karōn, “to be concerned”).

care (third-person singular simple present cares, present participle caring, simple past and past participle cared)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To be concerned about, have an interest in.

   I don't care what you think.

   • c. 1610-11, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act I, Scene i:

     […] What cares these roarers [i.e. thunder] for the name of king? […]

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     And no use for anyone to tell Charles that this was because the Family was in mourning for Mr Granville Darracott […]: Charles might only have been second footman at Darracott Place for a couple of months when that disaster occurred, but no one could gammon him into thinking that my lord cared a spangle for his heir.

   • 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:

     This newfound infatuation renders Bart uncharacteristically vulnerable. He suddenly has something to care about beyond causing trouble and makes a dramatic transformation from hell-raiser to gentleman about town.

2. (intransitive) To look after; used with for.

   Young children can learn to care for a pet.

3. (intransitive) To be mindful of something. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
4. (intransitive, polite, formal) To want; to be inclined towards.

   Would you care for another slice of cake?

   Would you care to dance?

• Sense 4. Most commonly found as an interrogative or negative sentence.
• Sense 4. This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

• becare
• care a button
• care a fig
• care a jackstraw
• care for

• Acre, CERA, Cera, Crea, Race, acer, acre, e-car, race, race-

• IPA^(key): /kaʁ/
• Homophones: car, carent, cares, carre, carrent, carre, quarre, quarres, quarrent, quart

care

1. first-person singular present indicative of carer
2. third-person singular present indicative of carer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of carer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of carer
5. second-person singular imperative of carer

• acre, âcre, créa, race

• Rhymes: -are

care

1. Feminine plural of adjective caro.

• acre, cera, c'era, crea, reca

carē

1. second-person singular present active imperative of careō

cāre

1. vocative masculine singular of cārus

• care in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• care in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• care in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

care

1. first-person singular present/imperative middle of carati (“to walk”)
2. optative active singular of carati (“to walk”)

From Latin quālis, quālem.

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.re/
• Rhymes: -are

care

1. which

   Care din aceste jocuri este nou?

   Which of these games is new?

care

1. which, that, who

   El este un om care a văzut foarte multe lucruri.

   He is a man who has seen very many things.

care f

1. feminine plural of caro