Skip to the word

Added 8 October 2026

rear

/ˈɹɪə/ verb

In Latin: postīcus Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rear at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster.
To breed and raise.
The family has been rearing cattle for 200 years.
To rise up on the hind legs.
The horse was shocked, and thus reared.

adjective

Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost.
the rear rank of a company

adverb

early; soon

noun

The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last in order.
Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
The buttocks or bottom.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word