Main Entry: ¹gear

Pronunciation: \ˈgir\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English gere, from Old Norse gervi, gǫrvi; akin to Old English gearwe equipment, clothing, gearu ready — more at yare

Date: 14th century

1 a : clothing, garments b : movable property : goods
2 : equipment, paraphernalia <fishing gear>
3 a : the rigging of a ship or boat b : the harness especially of horses
4 dialect chiefly British : absurd talk : nonsense
5 dialect chiefly British : doings
6 a (1) : a mechanism that performs a specific function in a complete machine <steering gear> (2) : a toothed wheel (3) : working relation, position, order, or adjustment <got her career in gear> (4) : a level or pace of functioning <kicked their performance into high gear> b : one of two or more adjustments of a transmission (as of a bicycle or motor vehicle) that determine mechanical advantage, relative speed, and direction of travel

— gear·less \-ləs\ adjective

[gear illustration]