lear

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

From Middle English laire, leire, lere, northern Middle English variants of lore, loare (“doctrine, teaching, lore”), from Old English lār (“lore”). More at lore.

lear (countable and uncountable, plural lears)

1. (now Scotland) Something learned; a lesson.
2. (now Scotland) Learning, lore; doctrine.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.vii:

     when all other helpes she saw to faile, / She turnd her selfe backe to her wicked leares / And by her deuilish arts thought to preuaile [...].

   • 1898, Francis James Child (editor), Lord William, or Lord Lundy, from Child's Ballads,

     They dressed up in maids' array,

     And passd for sisters fair;

     With ae consent gaed ower the sea,

     For to seek after lear.

From Middle English learen, leren (“to learn", also "to teach”). Doublet of learn (Etymology 2).

lear (third-person singular simple present lears, present participle learing, simple past and past participle leared)

1. (transitive, archaic and Scotland) To teach.
2. (intransitive, archaic) To learn.
   • 14thC, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and Tale, from The Canterbury Tales,

     He hath take on him many a great emprise,

     Which were full hard for any that is here

     To bring about, but they of him it lear.

See lehr.

lear (plural lears)

1. Alternative form of lehr

• Arel, Earl, Elar, Lare, Rael, Raël, Real, earl, lare, rale, real

• IPA^(key): /l̠ʲaɾˠ/

lear m (genitive singular lir)

1. (literary or archaic, except in phrases) sea, ocean

• thar lear (“overseas”)

lear (plural lears)

1. olive tree