gear

See also: géar, gèar, and Gear

English

Etymology

From Middle English gere, a borrowing from Old Norse gervi, from Proto-Germanic *garwijaną (“to prepare”). See also adjective yare, yar from the same root via Old English.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: gîr, IPA^(key): /ɡɪə(ɹ)/
• (US) enPR: gîr, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɚ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

Noun

gear (countable and uncountable, plural gears)

1. (uncountable) Equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor.
2. Clothing; garments.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 26:

     Aray thy selfe in her most gorgeous geare

   • 2000, “s:(I'm Spending) Hanukkah in Santa Monica”, in Tom Lehrer (music), The Remains of Tom Lehrer, performed by Tom Lehrer:

     Those Eastern winters, ⁠I can't endure 'em / So every year I pack my gear and come out here till Purim / Rosh Hashanah, I spend in Arizona

3. (obsolete) Goods; property; household items.
   • 1551, Thomas More, “(please specify the Internet Archive page)”, in Raphe Robynson [i.e., Ralph Robinson], transl., A Fruteful, and Pleasaunt Worke of the Best State of a Publyque Weale, and of the Newe Yle Called Utopia: […], London: […] [Steven Mierdman for] Abraham Vele, […], →OCLC:

     Homely gear and common ware.

4. (countable) A wheel with grooves (teeth) engraved on the outer circumference, such that two such devices can interlock and convey motion from one to the other; a gear wheel.

   Synonyms: cog, cogwheel, gearwheel

5. (countable, automotive, cycling) A particular combination or choice of interlocking gears, such that a particular gear ratio is achieved.
6. (countable, automotive) A configuration of the transmission of a motor car so as to achieve a particular ratio of engine to axle torque.
7. (aviation) Ellipsis of landing gear.

   gear-up landing

   Get the gear down quick!

8. (uncountable, slang) Recreational drugs, including steroids.

   getting on gear

   • 2003, Marianne Hancock, Looking for Oliver, page 90:

     "Have you got any gear? Dominic, have you got any acid?" Emma kept running her hands nervously through her hair. "Not LSD, man; that last trip freaked me out."

9. (uncountable, archaic) Stuff.
   • 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism, Book III, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 113:

     When he was digged up, which was in the presence of the Magistracy of the Town, his body was found entire, not at all putrid, no ill smell about him, saving the mustiness of the grave-Clothes, his joynts limber and flexible, as in those that are alive, his skin only flaccid, but a more fresh grown in the room of it, the wound of his throat gaping, but no gear nor corruption in it; there was also observed a Magical mark in the great toe of his right foot, viz. an Excrescency in the form of a Rose.

10. (obsolete) Business matters; affairs; concern.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 30:

      goe they both together to their geare.

11. (obsolete, UK, dialect) Anything worthless; nonsense; rubbish.
    • March 29, 1549, Hugh Latimer, the fourth sermon preached before King Edward

      That servant of his that confessed and uttered this gear was an honest man.

Derived terms

• 782 gear
• all the gear and no idea
• angel gear
• arresting gear
• bevel gear
• bicycle gear
• bicycle landing gear
• blast gear
• body gear
• bottom gear
• brakegear, brake gear
• chafing gear
• change gear
• change gears
• clash gear
• click into gear
• creeper gear
• de-gear
• differential gear
• epicyclic gear
• fifth gear
• find a new gear
• find another gear
• first gear
• fixed-gear bicycle
• fourth gear
• gear acquisition syndrome
• gearbox
• gear case
• gear change
• geardo
• gear down
• gear head
• gear knob
• gear lever
• gear oil
• gear queer
• gear shift
• gear stick
• gear train
• gearwheel
• gear-wheel
• get one's arse in gear
• get one's arse into gear
• get one's ass in gear
• get one's ass into gear
• ghost gear
• give someone the gears
• granny gear
• grinding gear
• herringbone gear
• high gear
• in full gear
• in gear
• in high gear
• interrupter gear
• in the rear with the gear
• jacking gear
• landing gear
• laughing-gear
• laughing gear
• low gear
• main gear
• mortise gear
• nose gear
• out of gear
• planetary gear
• planetary gear train
• planet gear
• reverse gear
• reversing gear
• riot gear
• running gear
• sanding gear
• second gear
• second-gear valuation
• segment gear
• shift gear
• shift gears
• shrouded gear
• spur gear
• sun and planet gear
• sun gear
• switchgear
• switch gear
• synchronization gear
• tandem landing gear
• third gear
• top gear
• truck driver's gear change
• turning gear
• turnout gear
• up a gear
• wing gear
• worm gear

 

Translations

equipment or paraphernalia

• Bulgarian: приспособление (bg) n (prisposoblenie)
• Catalan: estris (ca) m pl
• Czech: vybavení (cs) n
• Danish: udstyr (da) n
• Esperanto: ekipo
• Estonian: varustus
• Finnish: varusteet (fi) pl
• French: panoplie (fr) f, matériel (fr) m, matos (fr) m (informal)
• Galician: equipamento (gl) m, aparellos (gl) m pl
• Georgian: აღჭურვილობა (aɣč̣urviloba), ხელსაწყო (xelsac̣q̇o), მოწყობილობა (moc̣q̇obiloba), აპარატი (aṗaraṭi), მექანიზმი (mekanizmi)
• German: Ausrüstung (de) f
• Greek: εξοπλισμός (el) m (exoplismós), σύνεργα (el) n pl (sýnerga)
• Hungarian: felszerelés (hu), készlet (hu), holmi (hu), cucc (hu)
• Irish: acmhainn f, gléasra m
• Italian: attrezzo (it) m, parafernalia f, equipaggiamento (it) m
• Macedonian: о́према f (óprema)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: utstyr n

  Nynorsk: utstyr n

• Portuguese: equipamento (pt) m
• Russian: снаряже́ние (ru) n (snarjažénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: uidheam f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о̏према f

  Roman: ȍprema (sh) f

• Slovene: oprema (sl) m
• Spanish: equipo (es) m, engranaje (es), pertrecho (es), aparejo (es), apero (es), avíos (es), trebejos (es), enseres (es), recado (es)
• Swedish: utrustning (sv) c

gear wheel — see gear wheel

a particular combination or choice of interlocking gears

• Bulgarian: зъбна предавка f (zǎbna predavka)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 波 (bo¹)

  Mandarin: 擋／挡 (zh) (dǎng)

• Czech: převod (cs) m, soukolí (cs) n, rychlost (cs) f
• Danish: gear n
• Dutch: overbrenging (nl) f
• Estonian: ülekanne
• Finnish: vaihde (fi), vaihteisto (fi)
• French: engrenage (fr) m
• Georgian: გადაცემა (gadacema)
• German: Gang (de) m
• Greek: σχέση (el) f (schési)
• Hungarian: sebesség (hu)
• Italian: marcia (it) f
• Japanese: ギア (ja) (gia)
• Macedonian: брзина f (brzina)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gir (no) n

  Nynorsk: gir n

• Portuguese: marcha (pt) f, velocidade (pt)
• Russian: переда́ча (ru) f (peredáča), ско́рость (ru) f (skórostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: gèar m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: брзѝна f, сте̏пе̄н преноса m

  Roman: brzìna (sh) f, stȅpēn prenosa m

• Slovak: prevod m, prevodový stupeň m, rýchlosť (sk) f, súkolie n
• Spanish: marcha (es) f, velocidad (es) f, engranaje (es) m
• Ukrainian: переда́ча f (peredáča)

motor car transmission

• Arabic:

  Hijazi Arabic: قير m (gēr)

• Bulgarian: предаване (bg) n (predavane), трансмисия f (transmisija)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 排擋／排挡 (zh) (páidǎng)

• Czech: převod (cs) m
• Danish: gear n
• Dutch: versnelling (nl) f
• Estonian: käik
• Finnish: vaihteisto (fi)
• French: vitesse (fr) f
• Georgian: ტრანსმისია (ṭransmisia), გადაცემა (gadacema)
• German: Gangschaltung (de) f
• Greek: ταχύτητα (el) f (tachýtita)
• Icelandic: gír m
• Indonesian: roda gigi (id)
• Italian: cambio (it) m
• Macedonian: пре́нос m (prénos), брзина f (brzina)
• Malay: gear
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gir (no) n

  Nynorsk: gir n

• Polish: bieg (pl) m
• Portuguese: marcha (pt), câmbio (pt) m
• Romanian: cutie de viteze f, schimbător de viteză (ro) n
• Russian: переда́ча (ru) f (peredáča), трансми́ссия (ru) f (transmíssija)
• Scottish Gaelic: gèar m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: брзѝна f, сте̏пе̄н преноса m

  Roman: brzìna (sh) f, stȅpēn prenosa m

• Spanish: marcha (es) f, cambio (es) m
• Swedish: växel (sv) c
• Tagalog: ngiplong, kambiyo
• Turkish: vites (tr)
• Ukrainian: переда́ча f (peredáča)

(slang) recreational drugs

• German: Stoff (de) m
• Spanish: merca (es) f

Verb

gear (third-person singular simple present gears, present participle gearing, simple past and past participle geared)

1. (engineering, transitive) To provide with gearing; to fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio.
2. (engineering, intransitive) To be in gear, come into gear.
3. To dress; to put gear on; to harness.
4. (usually with to or toward(s)) To design or devise (something) so as to be suitable (for a particular type of person or a particular purpose).

   This shop is not really geared towards people of our age.

   They have geared the hotel mainly at tourists.

5. (finance) To borrow money in order to invest it in assets.

Derived terms

• gear to
• gear towards
• gear up
• regear
• re-gear

 

Translations

to fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio

• Dutch: in een versnelling komen, schakelen (nl)
• French: passer ses vitesses
• Georgian: მოძრაობაში მოყვანა (moʒraobaši moq̇vana)
• Italian: ingranare (it)
• Portuguese: engrenar (pt)
• Spanish: engranar (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} engranar (es)

Adjective

gear (comparative more gear, superlative most gear)

1. (chiefly Liverpool) great or fantastic

Anagrams

• Ager, GRAE, Gera, Rega, ager, areg, gare, rage

Manx

Alternative forms

• geayr, geyre

Etymology 1

From Old Irish gáirid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛːrʲ/

Verb

gear (verbal noun gearey)

1. to laugh, chuckle

Etymology 2

From Middle Irish gér, from Old Irish gér.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡʲeːr/

Adjective

gear

1. sharp, keen
2. sour, acid

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gear	ghear	ngear
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “gér”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old English

Alternative forms

• ġǣr, ġēr — Anglian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *jār, from Proto-Germanic *jērą, from Proto-Indo-European *yeh₁r-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jæ͜ɑːr/

Noun

ġēar n

1. year
   • The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn

     Ic þē secge, hēo wæs iii and sixtiġ ġēara eald, ðā hēo belȳfen wæs...

     I tell thee, she was three and sixty years old when she died...

   • c. 9-12 CE, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:

     Þis wæs fēorþes ġēares his rīċes

     This was in the fourth year of his reign.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Sebastian, Martyr"

     Þa wurdon hi ealle þurh þæt wundor ablicgede and þæs þægnes gebedda ðe þa gebroþra heold wæs for six gearum for swiðlicre untrumnysse...

     Then they were all astonished at that miracle; and the wife of the officer, who had charge of the brothers, for six years, through a severe sickness...

2. age, years old (+plural genitive)
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Passion of St. Julian and his Wife Basilissa"

     Þa wolde his fæder and his frynd ealle þæt he wifian sceolde þa ða he eahtetyne gæra wæs...

     Then his father desired, and all his friends likewise, that he should marry, when he was eighteen years old.

3. (good) harvest
   1. (Runic alphabet) name of the rune ᛄ (j)

Declension

Declension of ġēar (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	ġēar	ġēar
accusative	ġēar	ġēar
genitive	ġēares	ġēara
dative	ġēare	ġēarum

Derived terms

• ġeāra (uncertain)
• ġēardagas
• ġēares dæġ
• ġēarlīċ
• ġēarġemynd

 

Descendants

• Middle English: yeer, here, yere, ȝere
  • English: year
    • Jamaican Creole: ier
    • Tok Pisin: yia
    • → Chuukese: ier
    • → Japanese: イヤー (iyā)
    • → Volapük: yel
  • Scots: year

Portuguese

Etymology

From an Old Galician-Portuguese *gear (compare geo), from Latin gelāre. Doublet of the borrowing gelar. Compare also Galician xear.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒeˈa(ʁ)/ [ʒeˈa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒeˈa(ʁ)/ [ʒeˈa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ʒeˈa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ʒeˈa(ʁ)/ [ʒeˈa(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒeˈa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʒjaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʒjaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʒja.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: ge‧ar

Verb

gear (impersonal, third-person singular present geia, third-person singular preterite geou, past participle geado)

1. (impersonal) to frost (weather)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of gear (impersonal; e becomes ei when stressed) (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	gear
Personal	—	—	gear	—	—	—
Gerund
	geando
Past participle
Masculine	geado			—
Feminine	—			—
Indicative
Present	—	—	geia	—	—	—
Imperfect	—	—	geava	—	—	—
Preterite	—	—	geou	—	—	—
Pluperfect	—	—	geara	—	—	—
Future	—	—	geará	—	—	—
Conditional	—	—	gearia	—	—	—
Subjunctive
Present	—	—	geie	—	—	—
Imperfect	—	—	geasse	—	—	—
Future	—	—	gear	—	—	—
Imperative
Affirmative		—	—	—	—	—
Negative (não)		—	—	—	—	—

Related terms

• geada
• geado
• gelar
• gelo

 

West Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɪə̯r/

Adverb

gear

1. together

Further reading

• “gear (III)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011