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Tearing
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate these parts and keep them clear of foreign particles. Synonyms: teardrop.
2.
this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief: to shed tears.
3.
something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a liquid or a tearlike mass of a solid substance, especially having a spherical or globular shape at one end and tapering to a point at the other: teardrop earrings.
4.
Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.
5.
tears, grief; sorrow.
verb (used without object)
Idiom6.
to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes (often followed by up): My eyes were tearing in the wind. He teared up when he heard the news.
7.
in tears, weeping: He was in tears over the death of his dog.
Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English teer, Old English tēar, tehher, taeher; cognate with Old High German zahar, Old Norse tār, Gothic tagr, Greek dákry, Latin lacrima (see lachrymal); (v.) Middle English teren, Old English teheran, in teherende (gerund), derivative of the noun
before 900; (noun) Middle English teer, Old English tēar, tehher, taeher; cognate with Old High German zahar, Old Norse tār, Gothic tagr, Greek dákry, Latin lacrima (see lachrymal); (v.) Middle English teren, Old English teheran, in teherende (gerund), derivative of the noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges. Synonyms: rend, rip, rive. Antonyms: mend, repair, sew.
2.
to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force: to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.
3.
to distress greatly: anguish that tears the heart. Synonyms: break, crack, shatter, afflict.
4.
to divide or disrupt: a country torn by civil war. Synonyms: disunite, split, splinter. Antonyms: unite, reunite, join, bind.
5.
EXPANDto wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate. Synonyms: cut, mangle, slash.
6.
to produce or effect by rending: to tear a hole in one's coat.
7.
COLLAPSEto remove by force or effort: to be unable to tear oneself from a place.
verb (used without object)
8.
to become torn.
9.
to make a tear or rent.
10.
to move or behave with force, violent haste, or energy: The wind tore through the trees; cars tearing up and down the highway; I was tearing around all afternoon trying to find sandals for the beach.
noun
Verb phrases11.
the act of tearing.
12.
a rent or fissure. Synonyms: rip, rift, rupture.
13.
a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.
14.
Informal. a spree.
15.
tear at,
a.
to pluck violently at; attempt to tear: She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
b.
to distress; afflict: remorse that tears at one's soul.
16.
tear down,
a.
to pull down; destroy; demolish.
b.
to disparage or discredit: to tear down one's friends behind their backs.
17.
tear into, Informal.
a.
to attack impulsively and heedlessly: He tore into the food with a will.
b.
to attack verbally: She tore into him for being late for dinner.
18.
tear off, Slang. to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually: to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.
19.
Idiomstear up,
a.
to tear into small shreds: He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them. Synonyms: rip up.
b.
to cancel or annul: to tear up a contract.
20.
tear it, Slang. to ruin all hope; spoil everything.
21.
tear one's hair, to manifest extreme anxiety, grief, anger, or frustration: I'm so upset, I could just tear my hair out. Also, tear one's hair out.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English teren (v.), Old English teran; cognate with Dutch teren, German zehren to consume, Gothic distairan to destroy, Greek dérein to flay
before 900; Middle English teren (v.), Old English teran; cognate with Dutch teren, German zehren to consume, Gothic distairan to destroy, Greek dérein to flay
Related forms
tear·a·ble, adjective
tear·a·ble·ness, noun
tear·er, noun
un·tear·a·ble, adjective
Synonyms
1. Tear, rend, rip mean to pull apart. To tear is to split the fibers of something by pulling apart, usually so as to leave ragged or irregular edges: to tear open a letter. Rend implies force or violence in tearing apart or in pieces: to rend one's clothes in grief. Rip implies vigorous tearing asunder, especially along a seam or line: to rip the sleeves out of a coat.
1. Tear, rend, rip mean to pull apart. To tear is to split the fibers of something by pulling apart, usually so as to leave ragged or irregular edges: to tear open a letter. Rend implies force or violence in tearing apart or in pieces: to rend one's clothes in grief. Rip implies vigorous tearing asunder, especially along a seam or line: to rip the sleeves out of a coat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Tearing
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tear
"pull apart," O.E. teran (class IV strong verb; past tense tær, pp. toren), from P.Gmc. *teran (cf. O.S. terian, M.Du. teren "to consume," O.H.G. zeran "to destroy," Ger. zehren, Goth. ga-tairan "to tear, destroy"), from PIE *der- "tear" (cf. Skt. drnati "cleaves, bursts," Gk. derein "to flay,"
EXPANDArm. terem "I flay," O.C.S. dera "to burst asunder," Bret. darn "piece"). The O.E. past tense survived long enough to get into Bible translations as tare before giving place 17c. to tore, which is from the old pp. toren. Sense of "to pull by force" (away from some situation or attachment) is attested from 1297. The noun meaning "act of tearing" is attested from 1666. To be torn between two things (desires, loyalties, etc.) is from 1871.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
tear 2 (tēr)
n.
A drop of the clear salty liquid that is secreted by the lacrimal gland of the eye to lubricate the surface between the eyeball and eyelid and to wash away irritants.
tearing tear·ing (tēr'ĭng)
n.
Epiphora.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
tear  (tîr) Pronunciation Key
A drop of the clear salty liquid secreted by glands (lacrimal glands) in the eyes. Tears wet the membrane covering the eye and help rid the eye of irritating substances. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
tear definition[tɛr]
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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