tare

[ tair ]

/ tɛər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tare ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of various vetches, especially Vicia sativa.

the seed of a vetch.

Bible. a noxious weed, probably the darnel.

Nearby words

Origin of tare

1300–50; Middle English: vetch; akin to Dutch tarwe wheat

tare

[ tair ]

/ tɛər /

noun

the weight of the wrapping, receptacle, or conveyance containing goods.

a deduction from the gross weight to allow for this.

the weight of a vehicle without cargo, passengers, etc.

a counterweight used in chemical analysis to balance the weight of a container.

a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter T.

verb (used with object), tared, tar·ing.

to ascertain, note, or allow for the tare of.

Origin of tare

1480–90; < Middle French (equivalent to Medieval Latin, Italian, Provençal, Spanish, Portuguese tara, Spanish atara) ≪ Arabic ṭarḥah what one throws away, derivative of ṭaraḥa to throw away

tare

[ tair ]

/ tɛər /

verb Archaic.

simple past tense and past participle of tear².

tear

[ teer ]

/ tɪər /

noun

a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate these parts and keep them clear of foreign particles.

this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief: to shed tears.

something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a liquid or a tearlike mass of a solid substance, especially having a spherical or globular shape at one end and tapering to a point at the other: teardrop earrings.

Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.

tears, grief; sorrow.

verb (used without object)

to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes (often followed by up): My eyes were tearing in the wind. He teared up when he heard the news.

Origin of tear

before 900; (noun) Middle English teer, Old English tēar, tehher, taeher; cognate with Old High German zahar, Old Norse tār, Gothic tagr, Greek dákry, Latin lacrima (see lachrymal); (v.) Middle English teren, Old English teheran, in teherende (gerund), derivative of the noun

tear

[ tair ]

/ tɛər /

verb (used with object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tear·ing.

to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.

to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force: to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.

to distress greatly: anguish that tears the heart.

to divide or disrupt: a country torn by civil war.

to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.

to produce or effect by rending: to tear a hole in one's coat.

to remove by force or effort: to be unable to tear oneself from a place.

verb (used without object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tear·ing.

to become torn.

to make a tear or rent.

to move or behave with force, violent haste, or energy: The wind tore through the trees; cars tearing up and down the highway; I was tearing around all afternoon trying to find sandals for the beach.

noun

the act of tearing.

a rent or fissure.

a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.

Informal. a spree.

Verb Phrases

tear at,

to pluck violently at; attempt to tear: She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
to distress; afflict: remorse that tears at one's soul.

tear down,

to pull down; destroy; demolish.
to disparage or discredit: to tear down one's friends behind their backs.

tear into, Informal.

to attack impulsively and heedlessly: He tore into the food with a will.
to attack verbally: She tore into him for being late for dinner.

tear off, Slang. to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually: to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.

tear up,

to tear into small shreds: He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
to cancel or annul: to tear up a contract.

Origin of tear

before 900; Middle English teren (v.), Old English teran; cognate with Dutch teren, German zehren to consume, Gothic distairan to destroy, Greek dérein to flay

Related formstear·a·ble, adjectivetear·a·ble·ness, nountear·er, nounun·tear·a·ble, adjective

Synonym study

1. Tear, rend, rip mean to pull apart. To tear is to split the fibers of something by pulling apart, usually so as to leave ragged or irregular edges: to tear open a letter. Rend implies force or violence in tearing apart or in pieces: to rend one's clothes in grief. Rip implies vigorous tearing asunder, especially along a seam or line: to rip the sleeves out of a coat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tare

When someone comes to the door and knocks, he says mono m. To this one responds taso, taga, or tare 'who is it?'
Diego Collado's Grammar of the Japanese Language|Diego Collado
When it comes to a question of tare and tret, false sentiment must be excluded.
Erema|R. D. Blackmore
Why, tare alive, Pether, is it in bed you are at this hour of the day?
Phil Purcel, The Pig-Driver; The Geography Of An Irish Oath; The Lianhan Shee|William Carleton
On the expiration of his year of office, Fa'bius resigned, and Taren'tius Varro was chosen to the command.
Pinnock's Improved Edition of Dr. Goldsmith's History of Rome|Oliver Goldsmith

"I ain't afraid; Dod is tatin' tare of me," said the child, with a little sigh.
A Sailor's Lass|Emma Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for tare

tare

/ (tɛə) /

noun

any of various vetch plants, such as Vicia hirsuta (hairy tare) of Eurasia and N Africa

the seed of any of these plants

Bible a troublesome weed, thought to be the darnel

Word Origin for tare

C14: of unknown origin

noun

the weight of the wrapping or container in which goods are packed

a deduction from gross weight to compensate for this

the weight of a vehicle without its cargo, passengers, etc

an empty container used as a counterbalance in determining net weight

verb

(tr) to weigh (a package, etc) in order to calculate the amount of tare

Word Origin for tare

C15: from Old French: waste, from Medieval Latin tara, from Arabic tarhah something discarded, from taraha to reject

tear

/ (tɪə) /

noun

a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glandsSee tears

something shaped like a hanging dropa tear of amber

Also called (esp Brit): teardrop

Derived Formstearless, adjective

Word Origin for tear

Old English tēar, related to Old Frisian, Old Norse tār, Old High German zahar, Greek dakri

tear

/ (tɛə) /

verb tears, tearing, tore or torn

to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip

(tr) to make (a hole or split) in (something)to tear a hole in a dress

(intr often foll by along) to hurry or rushto tear along the street

(tr; usually foll by away or from) to remove or take by force

(when intr, often foll by at) to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to)it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child

tear one's hair informal to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc

noun

a hole, cut, or split

the act of tearing

a great hurry; rush

on a tear slang showing a sudden burst of energy

See also tear away, tear down, tear into, tear off, torn

Derived Formstearable, adjectivetearer, noun

Word Origin for tear

Old English teran; related to Old Saxon terian, Gothic gatairan to destroy, Old High German zeran to destroy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tare

tare

n.1

"kind of fodder plant, vetch," early 14c., perhaps cognate with Middle Dutch tarwe "wheat," from Proto-Germanic *tarwo, cognate with Breton draok, Welsh drewg "darnel," Sanskrit durva "a kind of millet grass," Greek darata, daratos "bread," Lithuanian dirva "a wheat-field." Used in 2nd Wyclif version (1388) of Matt. xxiii:25 to render Greek zizania as a weed among corn (earlier darnel and cockle had been used in this place); hence figurative use for "something noxious sown among something good" (1711).

tare

n.2

"difference between gross and net weight," late 15c., from Middle French tare "wastage in goods, deficiency, imperfection" (15c.), from Italian tara, from Arabic tarah, literally "thing deducted or rejected," from taraha "to reject."

tear

v.2

1650s, mainly in American English, from tear (n.1). Related: Teared; tearing. Old English verb tæherian did not survive into Middle English.

tear

n.2

"act of ripping or rending," 1660s, from tear (v.1).

tear

n.1

"water from the eye," Old English tear, from earlier teahor, tæhher, from Proto-Germanic *takh-, *tagr- (cf. Old Norse, Old Frisian tar, Old High German zahar, German Zähre, Gothic tagr "tear"), from PIE *dakru-/*draku- (cf. Latin lacrima, Old Latin dacrima, Irish der, Welsh deigr, Greek dakryma). Tear gas first recorded 1917.

tear

v.1

"pull apart," Old English teran (class IV strong verb; past tense tær, past participle toren), from Proto-Germanic *teran (cf. Old Saxon terian, Middle Dutch teren "to consume," Old High German zeran "to destroy," German zehren, Gothic ga-tairan "to tear, destroy"), from PIE *der- "tear" (cf. Sanskrit drnati "cleaves, bursts," Greek derein "to flay," Armenian terem "I flay," Old Church Slavonic dera "to burst asunder," Breton darn "piece").

The Old English past tense survived long enough to get into Bible translations as tare before giving place 17c. to tore, which is from the old past participle toren. Sense of "to pull by force" (away from some situation or attachment) is attested from late 13c. To be torn between two things (desires, loyalties, etc.) is from 1871.

Science definitions for tare

tear

[ tîr ]

A drop of the clear salty liquid secreted by glands (lacrimal glands) in the eyes. Tears wet the membrane covering the eye and help rid the eye of irritating substances.

Idioms and Phrases with tare

tear

In addition to the idioms beginning with tear

tear apart
tear around
tear at
tear away
tear down
tear into
tear it
tear off
tear one's hair

also see:

rip (tear) into
wear and tear

Also see undertearstorn.

tare

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of tare

tare

noun

verb (used with object), tared, tar·ing.

Origin of tare

tare

verb Archaic.

tear

noun

verb (used without object)

Origin of tear

tear

verb (used with object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tear·ing.

verb (used without object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tear·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of tear

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for tare

tare

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Word Origin for tare

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Word Origin for tare

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Word Origin for tear

tear

verb tears, tearing, tore or torn

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