dear´ness — dear1 «dihr», adjective, noun, adverb, interjection. –adj. 1. much loved; precious: »His sister was very dear to him. This is an old story but somehow each time more dear (Atlantic). SYNONYM(S): beloved. 2. much valued; highly esteemed … Useful english dictionary
dear — Synonyms and related words: admired, adored, affectionate, angel, at a premium, at great cost, at great expense, at heavy cost, babe, baby, baby doll, beloved, beloved object, beyond price, buttercup, cherished, cherub, chick, chickabiddy, costly … Moby Thesaurus
darling — O.E. deorling darling, favorite minion, double dim. of deor dear (see DEAR (Cf. dear)). The vowel shift from e to a (16c.) is usual for er followed by a consonant. It is better to be An olde mans derlyng, than a yong mans werlyng (1562) … Etymology dictionary
dear — [adj1] beloved, favorite cherished, close, darling, doll face, endeared, esteemed, familiar, intimate, loved, pet, precious, prized, respected, treasured; concepts 555,567 Ant. common, despised, hateful, unimportant, valueless, worthless dear… … New thesaurus
darling — dar ling, n. [OE. derling, deorling, AS. de[ o]rling; de[ o]re dear + ling. See {Dear}, and { ling}.] One dearly beloved; a favorite. [1913 Webster] And can do naught but wail her darling s loss. Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
darling — [där′liŋ] n. [ME dereling < OE deorling, dim. of deore, DEAR] 1. a person much loved by another: often a term of affectionate address 2. a favorite 3. a sweet, lovable, or gracious person adj. 1. very dear; beloved 2 … English World dictionary
Dear — (d[=e]r), a. [Compar. {Dearer} (d[=e]r [ e]r); superl. {Dearest} (d[=e]r [e^]st).] [OE. dere, deore, AS. de[ o]re; akin to OS. diuri, D. duur, OHG. tiuri, G. theuer, teuer, Icel. d[=y]rr, Dan. & Sw. dyr. Cf. {Darling}, {Dearth}.] 1. Bearing a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
dear — [dir] adj. [ME dere < OE deore, precious, costly, beloved, akin to Du duur, Ger teuer] 1. much loved; beloved 2. much valued; highly thought of; esteemed: used with a title or name as a polite form of address, as in writing letters [Dear Sir]… … English World dictionary
dear|ie — dear|y or dear|ie «DIHR ee», noun, plural dear|ies. Informal. a dear one; darling … Useful english dictionary
dear|y — or dear|ie «DIHR ee», noun, plural dear|ies. Informal. a dear one; darling … Useful english dictionary
