rear1

[reer] /rɪər/
noun
1.
the back of something, as distinguished from the front:
The porch is at the rear of the house.
2.
the space or position behind something:
The bus driver asked the passengers to move to the rear.
3.
the buttocks; rump.
4.
the hindmost portion of an army, fleet, etc.
adjective
5.
pertaining to or situated at the rear of something:
the rear door of a bus.
Idioms
6.
bring up the rear, to be at the end; follow behind:
The army retreated, and the fleeing civilian population brought up the rear.
Origin
1590-1600; aphetic variant of arrear
Synonyms
5. See back1 .

rear2

[reer] /rɪər/
verb (used with object)
1.
to take care of and support up to maturity:
to rear a child.
2.
to breed and raise (livestock).
3.
to raise by building; erect.
4.
to raise to an upright position:
to rear a ladder.
5.
to lift or hold up; elevate; raise.
verb (used without object)
6.
to rise on the hind legs, as a horse or other animal.
7.
(of a person) to start up in angry excitement, hot resentment, or the like (usually followed by up).
8.
to rise high or tower aloft:
The skyscraper rears high over the neighboring buildings.
Idioms
9.
rear its (ugly) head. head (def 85).
Origin
before 900; Middle English reren, Old English rǣran to raise; cognate with Gothic -raisjan, Old Norse reisa
Related forms
unreared, adjective
well-reared, adjective
Synonyms
1. nurture, raise. 3. construct. 5. loft.
Usage note
1. See raise.
Examples from the web for rear
  • Oropharyngeal cancers refer to tumors of the tonsils and rear tongue, back of the palate and posterior walls of the throat.
  • The rear seats fold easily enough, although not totally flat.
  • To the rear was the dining room, with three matching windows.
  • They are mildly venomous snakes, but their tiny, fixed rear fangs make them harmless to humans.
  • The tricycle's many curves mock the angularity of the roofs to the rear.
  • It was a nondescript rear yard without a place to sit or entertain.
  • Leading from the rear is turning out to be a bad strategy.
  • Officials were slow to explain how one train crashed into the rear of the other.
  • At the rear of the brain are the occipital lobes, dealing with vision.
  • However, venomous snakes in this family posses fangs that are located at the rear of the mouth and do not inject the venom.
British Dictionary definitions for rear

rear1

/rɪə/
noun
1.
the back or hind part
2.
the area or position that lies at the back: a garden at the rear of the house
3.
the section of a military force or procession farthest from the front
4.
the buttocks See buttock
5.
bring up the rear, to be at the back in a procession, race, etc
6.
in the rear, at the back
7.
(modifier) of or in the rear: the rear legs, the rear side
Word Origin
C17: probably abstracted from rearward or rearguard

rear2

/rɪə/
verb
1.
(transitive) to care for and educate (children) until maturity; bring up; raise
2.
(transitive) to breed (animals) or grow (plants)
3.
(transitive) to place or lift (a ladder, etc) upright
4.
(transitive) to erect (a monument, building, etc); put up
5.
(intransitive) often foll by up. (esp of horses) to lift the front legs in the air and stand nearly upright
6.
(intransitive; often foll by up or over) (esp of tall buildings) to rise high; tower
7.
(intransitive) to start with anger, resentment, etc
Derived Forms
rearer, noun
Word Origin
Old English rǣran; related to Old High German rēren to distribute, Old Norse reisa to raise
Word Origin and History for rear
n.

"hindmost part," c.1600, abstracted from rerewarde "rear guard, hindmost part of an army or fleet" (mid-14c.), from Anglo-French rerewarde, Old French rieregarde, from Old French adverb riere "behind" (from Latin retro "back, behind;" see retro-) + Old French garde (see guard (n.)). Or the word may be a shortened form of arrear (see arrears).

As a euphemism for "buttocks" it is attested from 1796. Rear admiral is first attested 1580s, apparently so called from ranking "behind" an admiral proper. Rear-view (mirror) is recorded from 1926.

v.

Old English ræran "to raise, build up, create, set on end; arouse, excite, stir up," from Proto-Germanic *raizijanau "to raise," causative of *risanan "to rise" (see raise (v.)). Meaning "bring into being, bring up" (as a child) is recorded from early 15c.; that of "raise up on the hind legs" is first recorded late 14c. Related: Reared; rearing.

"attack in the rear," 17c., from rear (n.).

adj.

c.1300, from Old French rere (see rear (n.)).

Idioms and Phrases with rear

rear

also see:
bring up the rear