rear

views updated May 23 2018

rear1 / ri(ə)r/ • n. [in sing.] the back part of something, esp. a building or vehicle: the kitchen door at the rear of the house. ∎  the space or position at the back of something or someone: the field at the rear of the church. ∎  the hindmost part of an army, fleet, or line of people: two blue policemen at the rear fell out of the formation. ∎  (also rear end) inf. a person's buttocks.• adj. at the back: the car's rear window.PHRASES: bring up the rear be at the very end of a line of people. ∎  come last in a race or other contest.rear2 • v. 1. [tr.] (usu. be reared) bring up and care for (a child) until they are fully grown, esp. in a particular manner or place: he was born and reared in New York City a generation reared on video. ∎  (of an animal) care for (its young) until they are fully grown. ∎  breed and raise (animals): the calves are reared for beef. ∎  grow or cultivate (plants): [as adj. , in comb.] (-reared) laboratory-reared plantlets. 2. [intr.] (of a horse or other animal) raise itself upright on its hind legs: the horse reared in terror. ∎  (of a building, mountain, etc.) extend or appear to extend to a great height: houses reared up on either side. ∎  [tr.] archaic set (something) upright.PHRASES: rear one's head raise one's head. ∎  (rear its head) (of an unpleasant matter) emerge; present itself: elitism is rearing its ugly head again.PHRASAL VERBS: rear up (of a person) show anger or irritation; go on the attack: the press reared up in the wake of the bombings.DERIVATIVES: rear·er n.

rear

views updated May 23 2018

rear or rere vault. Internal arch or vault (called arrière voussure or scoinson arch) at the head of a splayed Gothic aperture springing from the jambs, corbels, or attached shafts (escoinsons) at the angles of jambs and interior walls.

rear

views updated May 29 2018

rear1 set up, lift up, raise (lit. and fig.) OE.; bring up, breed XV; intr. rise on the hind feet XIV. OE. ræ̃ran = ON. reisa (cf. Goth. urraisjan awaken):- Gmc. *raizjan, causative of *reisan RISE. Superseded in many senses by the Scand. RAISE.

rear

views updated May 17 2018

rear2 hindmost part. XVI. In earliest use military and naval; prob. extracted from phr. in the rearward (XV) or simply a shortening of rearward or rearguard. See next.