rear
UK[rɪə(r)]US[rɪr]
n
The back part of something
n
The part of the body on which someone sits; the buttocks
v
To care for young children or animals until they are fully grown
v
To rise up or lift something up
Etymology
The word 'rear' presents a fascinating case of semantic divergence from a single ancient root. Its journey begins with the Proto-Indo-European concept of lifting or raising. This core meaning was preserved in the Germanic verb that gave us the modern English verb 'rear', which encompasses both the act of raising children and the act of lifting something up. The noun form, referring to the back part, developed later in English. This likely originated from the military phrase "to rear an army," meaning to raise or muster troops, which evolved to denote the back part of an army or procession, and subsequently generalized to the back part of anything. Thus, one root branched into meanings for both nurturing elevation and spatial position.
Analysis
This word is a simplex form. It originates from Old English 'rǣran', meaning "to raise, set upright, build, create." The Old English verb is related to the Old Norse 'reisa' and the Gothic 'raisjan', all deriving from a Proto-Germanic root 'raizijaną', meaning "to cause to rise." This, in turn, can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root 'h₁rey-', meaning "to lift, raise."
Examples
The engine is located at the rear of the vehicle.
It is a challenging but rewarding job to rear a child.
The horse reared up on its hind legs in fright.