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Wear   /wɛr/   Listen
verb
Wear  v. t.  (Naut.) To cause to go about, as a vessel, by putting the helm up, instead of alee as in tacking, so that the vessel's bow is turned away from, and her stern is presented to, the wind, and, as she turns still farther, her sails fill on the other side; to veer.



Wear  v. t.  (past wore; past part. worn; pres. part. wearing)  
1.
To carry or bear upon the person; to bear upon one's self, as an article of clothing, decoration, warfare, bondage, etc.; to have appendant to one's body; to have on; as, to wear a coat; to wear a shackle. "What compass will you wear your farthingale?" "On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore, Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore."
2.
To have or exhibit an appearance of, as an aspect or manner; to bear; as, she wears a smile on her countenance. "He wears the rose of youth upon him." "His innocent gestures wear A meaning half divine."
3.
To use up by carrying or having upon one's self; hence, to consume by use; to waste; to use up; as, to wear clothes rapidly.
4.
To impair, waste, or diminish, by continual attrition, scraping, percussion, on the like; to consume gradually; to cause to lower or disappear; to spend. "That wicked wight his days doth wear." "The waters wear the stones."
5.
To cause or make by friction or wasting; as, to wear a channel; to wear a hole.
6.
To form or shape by, or as by, attrition. "Trials wear us into a liking of what, possibly, in the first essay, displeased us."
To wear away, to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay.
To wear off, to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth.
To wear on or To wear upon, to wear. (Obs.) "(I) weared upon my gay scarlet gites (gowns.)"
To wear out.
(a)
To consume, or render useless, by attrition or decay; as, to wear out a coat or a book.
(b)
To consume tediously. "To wear out miserable days."
(c)
To harass; to tire. "(He) shall wear out the saints of the Most High."
(d)
To waste the strength of; as, an old man worn out in military service.
To wear the breeches. See under Breeches. (Colloq.)



Wear  v. i.  (past wore; past part. worn; pres. part. wearing)  
1.
To endure or suffer use; to last under employment; to bear the consequences of use, as waste, consumption, or attrition; as, a coat wears well or ill; hence, sometimes applied to character, qualifications, etc.; as, a man wears well as an acquaintance.
2.
To be wasted, consumed, or diminished, by being used; to suffer injury, loss, or extinction by use or time; to decay, or be spent, gradually. "Thus wore out night." "Away, I say; time wears." "Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee." "His stock of money began to wear very low." "The family... wore out in the earlier part of the century."
To wear off, to pass away by degrees; as, the follies of youth wear off with age.
To wear on, to pass on; as, time wears on.
To wear weary, to become weary, as by wear, long occupation, tedious employment, etc.



noun
Wear  n.  Same as Weir.



Wear  n.  
1.
The act of wearing, or the state of being worn; consumption by use; diminution by friction; as, the wear of a garment.
2.
The thing worn; style of dress; the fashion. "Motley 's the only wear."
3.
The result of wearing or use; consumption, diminution, or impairment due to use, friction, or the like; as, the wear of this coat has been good.
Wear and tear, the loss by wearing, as of machinery in use; the loss or injury to which anything is subjected by use, accident, etc.



Wear, Weir  n.  
1.
A dam in a river to stop and raise the water, for the purpose of conducting it to a mill, forming a fish pond, or the like.
2.
A fence of stakes, brushwood, or the like, set in a stream, tideway, or inlet of the sea, for taking fish.
3.
A long notch with a horizontal edge, as in the top of a vertical plate or plank, through which water flows, used in measuring the quantity of flowing water.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Wear" Quotes from Famous Books



... here described by Las Casas must have contained important historical information. The older books, belonging to the ages of Copan and Palenque, went to decay doubtless long previous to his time, in the wars and revolutions of the Toltec period, or by the wear of time. The later books, not otherwise lost, were destroyed by Aztec and Spanish vandalism. According to tradition, and the testimony of writings still in existence when the Spaniards went there, the Aztec or Mexican sovereign Ytzcoatl destroyed many of the old Toltec ...
— Ancient America, in Notes on American Archaeology • John D. Baldwin

... tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food ...
— The 2007 CIA World Factbook • United States

... the constitutional provision originated, that the conviction of all men was, that, if the importation of slaves ceased, the white race would multiply faster than the black race, and that slavery would therefore gradually wear out and expire. It may not be improper here to allude to that, I had almost said, celebrated opinion of Mr. Madison. You observe, Sir, that the term slave, or slavery, is not used in the Constitution. The Constitution does not require that "fugitive ...
— The Great Speeches and Orations of Daniel Webster • Daniel Webster

... aye before my eyes, Your voices on my ear, And all things wear a thought of you, But you no ...
— The Liberty Minstrel • George W. Clark

... sight better off than I thought," replied Paul; "but I don't want to have you make a slave of yourself. You used to work hard enough; and now, if you are going to take in work, you will wear yourself out ...
— Little By Little - or, The Cruise of the Flyaway • William Taylor Adams


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