Dear
Dear (dēr) , adjective
[Old English dere, deore, Anglo-Saxon deóre; akin to Old Saxon diuri, Dutch duur, Old High German tiuri, German theuer, teuer, Icelandic dȳrr, Danish & Swedish dyr. Compare Darling, Dearth.]
1.
Bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive.
The cheapest of us is ten groats too dear.
2.
Marked by scarcity or dearth, and exorbitance of price; as, a dear year.
3.
Highly valued; greatly beloved; cherished; precious.
Hear me, dear lady.
Neither count I my life dear unto myself.
And the last joy was dearer than the rest.
Dear as remember'd kisses after death.
4.
Hence, close to the heart; heartfelt; present in mind; engaging the attention.
(a)
Of agreeable things and interests.
[I'll] leave you to attend him: some dear cause
Will in concealment wrap me up awhile.
His dearest wish was to escape from the bustle and glitter of Whitehall.
(b)
Of disagreeable things and antipathies.
In our dear peril.
Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
Or ever I had seen that day.
Dear , noun
A dear one; lover; sweetheart.
That kiss I carried from thee, dear.
Dear , adverb
Dearly; at a high price.
If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear.
Dear , transitive verb
To endear. [Obsolete] — Shelton