Webster's English Dictionary

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bear

Cross references:
  1. bull                   2. carry                 
 
1. bear \'ba(*)r, 'be(*)r\ n or bears;  or bear [ME bere, fr. OE bera; akin 
   to OE bru-n brown] [prob. fr. the proverb about selling the bearskin before 
   catching the bear pl  often attrib  pl  1: any of a family (Ursidae of the 
   order Carnivora) of large heavy mammals  having long shaggy hair, 
   rudimentary tail, and plantigrade feet and feeding largely on fruit and 
   insects as well as on flesh 2: a surly, uncouth, or shambling person X 3: 
   one that sells securities or commodities in expectation of a price decli ne
2. bear \'bo-(*)r, 'bo.(*)r\ \'bo-(*)rn, 'bo.(*)rn\ \'bo.(*)rn\ vb or bore; 
    or borne;  also born also bear.ing [ME beren, fr. OE beran; akin to OHG 
   beran to carry, L fer]re, Gk pherein 1a: to support and move : CARRY  1b: 
   to be equipped or furnished with  1c: to hold in the mind  1d: DISSEMINATE  
   1e: BEHAVE, CONDUCT {~ing himself well}  1f: to have as a feature or 
   characteristic  1g: to adduce in testifying {~ false witness}  1h: to have 
   as an identification  1i: LEAD, ESCORT  1j: RENDER, GIVE  2a: to give birth 
   to  2b: to produce as yield  2c1: to permit growth of  2c2: CONTAIN 
   {oil-bearing shale}  3a: to support the weight of : SUSTAIN  3b: TOLERATE, 
   ENDURE  3c: ASSUME, ACCEPT  3d: to hold above, on top, or aloft  3e: to 
   admit of : ALLOW  4: THRUST, PRESS  1a: to force one's way  1b: to be 
   situated : LIE  1c: to extend in a direction indicated or implied  1d: to 
   become directed  1e: to go or incline in an indicated direction {road ~s to 
   t he right} 2a: APPLY, PERTAIN  2b: to exert influence or force  3: to 
   support a weight or stain - often used with up  4: to produce fruit : YIELD 
    STAND mean to sustain something trying or painful. BEAR usu. implies the 
   power to sustain without flinching or breaking; SUFFER suggests acceptance 
   or passivity rather than courage or patience in bearing; ENDURE implies 
   continuing firm or resolute through trials and difficulties; ABIDE suggests 
   acceptance without resistance or protest; TOLERATE suggests overcoming or 
   successfully controlling an impulse to resist, avoid, or resent something 
   injurious or distasteful; STAND emphasizes even more strongly the ability 
   to bear without discomposure or flinching SYN syn BEAR, SUFFER, ENDURE, 
   ABIDE, TOLERATE,