rear

Etymology 1

From Middle English reren (“to raise”), from Old English rǣran (“to raise, set upright, promote, exalt, begin, create, give rise to, excite, rouse, arouse, stir up”), from Proto-West Germanic *raiʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *raizijaną, *raisijaną (“to cause to rise, raise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to lift oneself, rise”). Cognate with Scots rere (“to construct, build, rear”), Icelandic reisa (“to raise”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (raisjan, “to cause to rise, lift up, establish”), German reisen (“to travel”, literally “to rear up and depart”); and a doublet of raise. More at rise. Related to rise and raise, which is used for several of its now archaic or obsolete senses and for some of its senses that are currently more common in other dialects of English.

verb

1. (transitive) To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster.
   He wants a father to protect his youth, and rear him up to virtue. 1694, Thomas Southerne, Isabella: Or The Fatal Marriage
2. (transitive, said of people towards animals) To breed and raise.
   The family has been rearing cattle for 200 years.
3. (intransitive) To rise up on the hind legs
   The horse was shocked, and thus reared.
4. (intransitive, usually with "up") To get angry.
5. (intransitive) To rise high above, tower above.
6. (transitive, literary) To raise physically or metaphorically; to lift up; to cause to rise, to elevate.
   Poverty reared its ugly head. (appeared, started, began to have an effect)
   The monster slowly reared its head.
   Mine [shall be] the first hand to rear her banner. 1835, Lord Lytton, Rienzi, the Last of the Roman Tribunes
7. (transitive, rare) To construct by building; to set up
   to rear defenses or houses
   to rear one government on the ruins of another.
8. (transitive, rare) To raise spiritually; to lift up; to elevate morally.
   It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts. 1700, Isaac Barrow, Of Industry...
9. (transitive, obsolete) To lift and take up.
10. (transitive, obsolete) To rouse; to strip up.
    And seeks the tusky boar to rear. 1684, John Dryden, The Second Epode of Horace

Etymology 2

From Middle English rere, from Anglo-Norman rere, ultimately from Latin retro. Compare arrear. Doublet of retro.

adj

1. Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost
   the rear rank of a company
   sit in the rear seats of a car

adv

1. (Britain, dialect) early; soon
   Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear! 1714, John Gay, The Shepherd's Week

noun

1. The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last in order.
2. (military) Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
3. (anatomy) The buttocks or bottom.

verb

1. To place in the rear; to secure the rear of.
2. (transitive, vulgar, Britain) To sodomize (perform anal sex)

Etymology 3

From Middle English reren, from Old English hrēran (“to move, shake, agitate”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (“to stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱroHs- (“to mix, stir, cook”). Cognate with Dutch roeren (“to stir, shake, whip”), German rühren (“to stir, beat, move”), Swedish röra (“to touch, move, stir”), Icelandic hræra (“to stir”).

verb

1. (transitive) To move; stir.
2. (transitive, of geese) To carve.
   Rear that goose!
3. (regional, obsolete) To revive, bring to life, quicken. (only in the phrase, to rear to life)
   He healeth the blind and he reareth to life the dead. (Speculum Sacerdotale c. 15th century)

Etymology 4

From Middle English rere, from Old English hrēr, hrēre (“not thoroughly cooked, underdone, lightly boiled”), from hrēran (“to move, shake, agitate”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (“to stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱroHs- (“to mix, stir, cook”). Related to Old English hrōr (“stirring, busy, active, strong, brave”), Dutch roeren (“to stir, shake, whip”), German rühren (“to stir, beat, move”), Swedish röra (“to touch, move, stir”), Icelandic hræra (“to stir”).

adj

1. (now chiefly dialectal) (of eggs) Underdone; nearly raw.
2. (chiefly US) (of meats) Rare.
   Fred ordered a rear steak along with a glass of beer as he took a seat at an empty table 2017, Dr. Ardeshir Irani, Short Tales of the Old Wild West