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 : goods2: equipment, paraphernalia <fishing gear>3 a: the rigging of a ship or boat b: the harness especially of horses4dialect chiefly British : absurd talk : nonsense5dialect chiefly British : doings6 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]