bearern.
/ˈbɛːrə/, U.S. /ˈbɛrər/, Scottish English /ˈberər/, Irish English /ˈbeːrər/ In many senses (and in earliest use) frequently or more commonly as the second element in compounds, with the first element denoting what is borne. For examples treated at the first element, see notes at individual senses.
I. Senses relating to bear v.1 I.
1.
a. A person who, or animal which, carries, brings, or transports something, esp. something heavy or cumbersome; a carrier, a porter. Now chiefly in figurative contexts, esp. in collocation with burden. Cf. sense 11.Recorded earliest in water-bearer n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > transference > [noun] > conveying or transporting > action of carrying > one who carries
bearereOE
portera1382
carriera1398
beringa1500
portator?c1500
Christopher?1548
manuporter1688
toter1817
humper1961
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > person who
bearereOE
portera1382
carriera1398
load-man1487
coal-heaver1654
light porter1772
toter1817
packer1871
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > other manual or industrial workers > [noun] > porter
bearereOE
bermanc1000
portera1382
carriera1460
crocheteur1579
off-bearer1856
eOE Cleopatra Gloss. in J. J. Quinn Minor Lat.-Old Eng. Glossaries in MS Cotton Cleopatra A.III (Ph.D. diss., Stanford Univ.) (1956) 104 Cum lixarum [coetibus], mid wæterbererum.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xlvi. 2 Oure chargis with heuy berthene..to-brosyd ben..thei myȝten not sauen the berere [L. portantem].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 28729 And þe birthin be til vn-mete, þe berer lijs þer-wit be strete Or him be-houis it cast him fra Quen he mai noght þar vnder ga.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Bolsters whyche bearers of burdens, as porters do weare for freatynge.
1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. xli. 35) 321 Neither was this a penny-pouch, but a bag so big, as needed a bearer.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. iv. 75 To croud about the Sedan..to make the Bearers stop.
1870 H. A. Nicholson Man. Zool. (1880) 235 The scolex [sc. a tapeworm] apparently leads an independent life in water, and its intermediary bearer (supposed by some to be a fish..) is at present unknown.
1963 Pittsburgh Courier 28 Sept. 18 Schenley..was invaded one recent Sunday afternoon by bearers of ‘way out’ paintings, carvers of futuristic tree trunks, and be-sneakered exponents of ‘beatnik’ poetry.
2011 Econ. & Polit. Weekly 24 Dec. 57/1 During discussion in Parliament about the effect of refugees on India's economy, a recurring theme was the frustration that India was the sole bearer of the burden.
b. A carrier, bringer, or transporter of something immaterial. Cf. sense 2.See also light-bearer at light n.1 Compounds 1b.
ΚΠ
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection ii. sig. Siiiiv Lucifer: that is to say, the lyght berar.
a1627 W. Sclater Brief Comm. Malachy (1650) 117 He may shew himself, though he be a bearer of evil, yet to be not lover of it.
1741 D. Watson in tr. Horace Odes Epodes & Carmen Seculare 332 Of all the other Birds, the Eagle only is never hurt by Thunder; for which reason he has been feigned to be the Bearer of it.
1867 Yorks. Gaz. 9 Nov. 2/3 These clear, bright mountain streams are, by man's carelessness and wantonness, made at last to be bearers of disease and death instead of health and life.
1953 K. Jackson Lang. & Hist. in Early Brit. 3 Until fairly recently, the term Brythonic, coined by Rhys, was regularly used to describe the language brought to Britain by the bearers of that variety of primitive Celtic speech known as P-Celtic.
2011 Science 28 Jan. 421/2 The beautiful multiarmed Hindu goddess Saraswati, who is widely worshiped throughout India as the bearer of enlightenment.
c. A person who helps to carry the coffin at a funeral, or who escorts it in procession; a pall-bearer.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > obsequies > people involved in funeral > [noun] > corpse-bearer
bearer1603
the world > life > death > obsequies > people involved in funeral > [noun] > pall-bearer
bearer1603
pallbearer1707
pall-holder1769
pall-supporter1904
1603 T. Dekker 1603: Wonderfull Yeare sig. D A mingle-mangle, viz. dumpish Mourners, merry Sextons, hungry Coffin-sellers, scrubbing Bearers, and nastie Graue-makers.
1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France II. 291 A burial..not one..bearer being dressed in black.
1859 E. Capern Ballads & Songs (new ed.) 179 The tramp of the bearers and horses Beats out the death-march on the air.
1922 Asia & Americas Feb. 153/1 The bearers set the coffin on the ground, and each relative and neighbor took a last look at the beloved face.
2016 Cornish Guardian (Nexis) 7 Dec. (People section) 37 David, her eldest son, led the bearers, sons, Douglas, Christopher, Alistair and Adrian, who were followed by the rest of the family mourners.
d. Originally, in British India: a person employed to carry a palanquin; cf. palanquin-bearer n. at palanquin n. Compounds; (hence) a domestic servant; esp. one in charge of the clothes, furniture, and money of a household, or one who undertakes childcare (now historical). Now, in South Asia, esp. Pakistan: a domestic servant, esp. one who serves food; (also) a waiter in a club or restaurant.A bearer as a domestic servant was originally the head of a team of palanquin bearers attached to a particular household, who was entrusted with other duties as described above.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > litter- or palanquin-bearer
litter-man1505
litter-bearer1552
palanquin boy1698
bearer1727
hamal1757
palki bearer1779
palanquin-bearer1792
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > attendant or personal servant > [noun] > valet
manc1175
valet1567
varlet of the chamber1567
point-trusser1594
valect1610
valet-de-chambre1646
Andrew1700
gentleman's gentleman1704
bearer1727
sirdar-bearer1782
sardar1816
tiring-man1856
Jeeves1952
1727 ‘S. Brunt’ Voy. to Cacklogallinia 39 The Minister got into his Palanquin, and his four Bearers flew off with him with that incredible Swiftness, his Attendance had much ado to keep up with him.
1800 J. Gilchrist Anti-jargonist Introd. p. ix Some casts of Hindoo bearers, less scrupulous on more important matters, will not pour the hot water brought by them for tea upon eggs.
1816 Mrs. Sherwood Ayah & Lady vii. 39 The bearers had nothing to do but to carry their Lady to church.
1880 G. A. Mackay 21 Days in India (1882) 92 The Ayah and Bearer sit with Baby in the verandah.
1996 H. Marks Mr Nice (1998) xi. 310 DEA very pleased with this luxury: man to open garage door, two bearers to bring in food, many cooks and cleaners, chauffeur, and many more.
2016 Pakistan Observer (Nexis) 30 Jan. The raiding team also found the chef and cook and even the bearers in old, dirty clothes.
e. Army (chiefly British and in former British colonies). Originally, in the British Indian Army: a doolie bearer (see doolie n. 1). Later: a stretcher bearer; esp. a soldier whose duty is to carry the wounded on a stretcher from the battlefield to an ambulance or a field hospital. Frequently as modifier denoting a division of an army, in bearer company, bearer corps. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun] > medical division
bearer company1810
RAMC1898
1810 W. S. Greene Code Pay Reg. Var. Mil. Establishments 171 To each European Regiment, and to each Regiment of Native Cavalry, and to each Battalion of Native Infantry, in Cantonments, and in the Field, will be allowed one Sirdar Bearer.., and Five Bearers for each Doolie.
1870 Standard 23 Aug. 6/5 If brigaded together, the bearer corps being tripled in number, a commandant would have to be appointed.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXV. 352/1 The bearer company..is composed of three officers, thirteen non-commissioned officers, and forty-eight privates of the Royal Army Medical Corps, with a detachment of the Army Service Corps for transport duties.
2015 M. Johnston Stretcher-bearers 10 Misunderstandings about the use of red cross flags occasionally led to bearers being shot, but there were many more occasions when bearers were deliberately attacked.
2. A person who brings or delivers a gift, a letter, a message, etc., esp. on behalf of another (often named by that person as ‘the bearer’ in the letter or message). Also: a person who brings or passes on news, intelligence, a rumour, etc. Now chiefly in the bearer of bad news (also) tidings. Cf. this bearer n. at this pron., adj., and n. Compounds.Recorded earliest in figurative context, in errand-bearer n. at errand n. Compounds 1a.gift-bearer, newsbearer, rumour-bearer, scandal-bearer, talebearer, tidings-bearer: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > message > [noun] > messenger
erendrakec825
bodec888
apostlec950
sand1038
sandesman1123
sanderbodec1200
bearer?c1225
errand-bearer?c1225
messenger?c1225
erindeberea1250
sand-manc1275
beadsman1377
herald1377
messagea1382
runnera1382
sendmana1400
interpreter1490
nuntius1534
post1535
pursuivant?1536
nuncius1573
nuncio1587
carrier1594
nunciate1596
mercury1597
chiaus1599
foreranger1612
postera1614
irisa1616
missivea1616
chouse1632
angela1637
caduceator1684
purpose messenger1702
errand-bringer1720
harkara1747
commissionaire1749
carrier pigeon1785
errander1803
errand-porter1818
tchaush1819
card carrier1845
errand-goer1864
choush1866
ghulam1882
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 49 Þe licht echȝe..is as erende beorere of þe lichte heorte.
1402 in Rev. Eng. Stud. (1932) 8 260 (MED) Þat ȝe sende hyt hyder by þe berer of þis letter.
1566 J. Knox Hist. Reformation in Wks. (1846) I. 268 The rest of our myndis this faythfull berare will schaw you at lenth.
1695 S. Pepys Let. 15 Apr. in Mem. (1828) V. 213 You may be surprised..that..I come so soon to ask, for another, a favour it is so little a while since I troubled you for to myself. It is in behalf of this young man, the bearer.
1754 J. Hervey Let. 16 June in Lett. to F. Shirley (1782) lxviii. 205 I am not the Bestower, but only the Bearer of the Gift.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 589 Some of the messengers were honest fanatics: but others were mere mercenaries, and trafficked in the secrets of which they were the bearers.
1910 Improvem. Era Jan. 229 Not until then did it occur to me that a gossip was a bearer of tales, a scandal-monger, or one addicted to slander.
2006 K. W. Bender Moneymakers vi. 144 The company..preferred to blame the bearer of bad news for the missteps.
3.
a. The wearer of a garment, ornament, badge, etc.
ΚΠ
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvi. lxxxviii. 872 Sardius þat is al reede saueþ his berere [L. gestantem] fro enchauntement and fro wicchecrafte.
1606 H. Clapham Man. Bibles Doctr. 244 Whither all such people commaunding bee not limmes of Antichrist, and the vndergoers bearers of the badge of Antichrist?
1730 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum at Mural On the Circle of this Coronet there were Lions engraven, to express the undaunted Valour of the Bearer.
1858 C. A. Bristed Pieces Broken-Down Critic I. 85 Let us admit that a livery necessarily shows the bearer of it to be a servant.
2019 St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch (Nexis) 26 May a1 Of all the medals and awards that Steve Melnikoff received.., the Combat Infantry Badge means the most to him. It signifies the bearer ‘had intimate contact with the enemy,’ he said.
b. A person who carries a weapon upon his or her person, esp. visibly. Also: a person whose job or ceremonial role is to carry a symbol of authority, rank, office, etc., or the flag of a particular country or institution (esp. a military unit).ensign bearer, flag bearer, gun bearer, mace bearer, mitre bearer, ring bearer, sceptre bearer, wand bearer, etc.: see the first element. See also standard-bearer n.
ΚΠ
1467–8 in J. T. Gilbert Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) I. 328 (MED) Robert Fitz Rery, yeman, shalbe berror of the fotemen banner.
1585 T. Bilson True Difference Christian Subiection Ep. Ded. sig. Aiiiv Spurning at the act..which..declared your Highnesse to bee the supreme bearer of the sworde.
1716 L. Howel Compl. Hist. Holy Bible III. vii. 319 The Bearers of these Standards had each Six Wings.
1848 W. Siborne Hist. War in 1815 (ed. 3) I. x. 265 Amidst the crowd..was an officer, the bearer of the eagle of the 105th regiment.
1954 E. Huxley Four Guineas (1955) 39 The white-robed chief walking majestically, followed by the bearer of his silver-headed staff.
2018 Hindustan Times (Nexis) 22 Nov. Whether the weapon can be carried to a place depends on whether the bearer has a permit to carry it to the place he is going to and whether it is not prohibited to carry a weapon there.
4. Something in, on, or by means of which an object is carried or transported; esp. (English regional and (now chiefly) Irish English) a movable stand on which a coffin is carried; a bier.The sense in quot. c1450 is uncertain.See also cloak-bearer n. at cloak n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > conveyance carried by person or animal > [noun]
bearerc1450
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 5135 (MED) I fra myn erd wayue Berrers of ane Ebyn-tree & brilles a thousand.
1815 G. J. Guthrie On Gun-shot Wounds 35 I removed an officer.., four hours after amputation at the shoulder joint, a distance of thirteen miles, on a bearer carried by six men.
1847 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words I. (at cited word) In Kent the bier is sometimes called a bearer.
1862 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (ed. 9) 116 Nos. 8 and 9 bring up hot shot on a bearer.
1915 P. MacGill Rat-pit x. 99 The coffin was again closed and lifted on the wooden bearer.
2009 A. Ridge Death Customs Rural Ireland iii. 105 Most accounts describe the coffin being borne on a bearer but Michael Gilligan, of Curraghboy, south Roscommon, who was aged 92 years, in 1959, saw sheets being used.
5. A person who presents a cheque or other order to pay money. Cf. bearer cheque n. at Compounds 3. payable to bearer (of a cheque): payable to any person who presents it at a bank; contrasted with payable to order, i.e., to a named recipient.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > promissory notes or bills of exchange > [noun] > a promissory note or bill of exchange > holder of
bearera1460
possessor1682
noteholder1802
a1460 Richard, Duke of York Order to Receiver (Vesp. F.iii) f. 15 That ye deliuer vnto oure trusty & welbeloued seruant Iohn Langley or the berer herof in his name vj l xiiij s iiij d.
1589 J. Browne Marchants Avizo 53 Worshipful: may it please you to pay vpon this my second bill (my first not being payed) vnto R. N. or the bearer hereof.
1683 London Gaz. No. 1862/8 A Note..for Ninety nine Pounds..paid to Edward Callender or Bearer.
?1790 Stamp Duties 9 Bills of Exchange, Draft or Order on demand, and Promissory or other Note, payable to bearer on demand, reissuable from time to time (after payment thereof) at the place where first issued.
1882 R. Bithell Counting-house Dict. 212 Open cheque, an uncrossed cheque, payable to Bearer or to Order on presentation.
1908 Rec. Supreme Court U.S. No. 92 163 The substance of what Lorenz said then was that perhaps he, witness, did not want his company to know that he was getting these remittances back, so then witness said to him: ‘You can send it by check or draft to bearer, and I will collect it in that way’.
2017 Business Line (Nexis) 10 Oct. A currency carries value because it is issued by a central bank on behalf of the government and the latter promises to pay the bearer the sum written on the currency.
6. A person who possesses a specified attribute, character, or quality. Also: the holder of a rank, office, title, or name.Recorded earliest in two-face-bearer n. at two adj., n., and adv. Compounds 1e(c).See also office-bearer n., soul bearer n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > [noun] > a property, quality, or attribute > a thing having certain qualities
naturea1393
bearer?1518
quale1654
?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. C.j Flaterers and two face berers.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iii. iii. 99 The beauty that is borne here in the face: The bearer knowes not. View more context for this quotation
1706 R. Ferguson Hist. Revol. 55 The Right to Government therefore must in this Place be distinguished from the Office of Governing; to the actual Bearer of which Office we seem to be constituted Subjects both by our Saviour's and St Paul's Rule.
1896 I. Zangwill Without Prejudice xxiv. 219 His minister had preached upon the subject of names, laying it down that in every name lurked a subtle virtue,—or vice; the former the bearer of the name was in duty bound to cultivate, the latter to root out.
1957 E. Fromm Art of Loving (1993) iv. 97 In contemporary capitalistic society..the men suggested for admiration and emulation are everything but bearers of significant spiritual qualities.
2017 CNN Wire (Nexis) 23 May As the longest-serving bearer of that title, it's fair to say that 007 wouldn't be the force that it has remained without him.
7. Heraldry. A person who is entitled to bear heraldic arms; a user of a particular coat of arms.For additional heraldic use, see sense 13.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > heraldry > [noun] > armiger
armigerc1550
bearer1559
1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates George Plantagenet f. lxxixv For all the broode of Warwickes geve the Bear, The Buckinghames do likewise geve the swan: But which Bear bearer shoulde the lyon teare.
1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie iii. x. 115 Sable and Or..may well beseeme a Bearer, whose sober and well composed conditions are accompanied with the lustre of shining vertues.
1787 ‘M. A. Porny’ Elements Heraldry (ed. 4) i. 19 Such [tinctures] as should be used for marks of disgrace in the Bearers.
1885 G. E. Cockayne Let. (O.E.D. Archive) We never use the word ‘bearers’ for ‘supporters’: the ‘bearers’ of the arms of Howard are the Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Carlisle, etc., themselves, not the supporters used by these noblemen.
1990 Bull. Hispanic Stud. 67 411/2 Four excellent indexes of heraldic devices..enable the reader..to identify the bearers of over 500 individual achievements.
II. Senses relating to bear v.1 III.
8. A woman or other female mammal who is giving birth or who has given birth; a producer of offspring.Recorded earliest in childbearer n. See also livebearer n.
ΚΠ
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. iv. 31 A vois..I herde, anguysshes as of the child berere.
c1450 (a1400) Orologium Sapientiæ in Anglia (1888) 10 344 (MED) Þat wirchepfulle moder, þi trewest berere, hadde hir whanne sche stode by þi crosse.
a1634 R. Clerke Serm. (1637) 15 The Synod..decreed Christs Mother to be styled θεοτόκος, the bearer of God.
1706 H. Curson New Descr. World 121 The Women are of a good Complexion, but by Intemperance in Diet are Corpulent, are of good Carriage, good Bearers, and good Breeders.
1861 N. Wales Chron. 1 June 5/5 Women are honoured and indulged as the weaker vessels and bearers of children.
1973 Ethnology 12 128 Special attention is paid to the salutation of..prolific bearers of young, and..individual animals supposed to be sired by the stone amulets.
2012 J. J. Riley Sarah's Life i. 15 The traditional role of the man was to be the breadwinner and provider and the woman as the bearer of children and homemaker was the norm.
9. Something which yields a natural product; a producer of fruit, crops, minerals, etc.; esp. a fruit tree. Frequently with modifying adjective.Recorded earliest in fruit-bearer n. at fruit n. Compounds 1b(a).In quot. 1899: (in projective geometry) a figure in the Euclidean plane that produces a particular figure in a given projected space (an isolated use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > [noun] > production > that which produces
gendererc1384
bearera1387
bringerc1386
engendererc1390
producera1513
forthbringer1546
breeder1572
productor1584
productrice1585
spawner16..
brancher1610
procreanta1616
producent1622
productrix1630
generant1635
generator1637
productive1642
procurator1647
pregnatress1651
generatrix1657
yielder1733
productress1751
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > cultivated or valued > [noun] > fruit-tree
bearera1387
fruita1400
fruit tree1577
orchard tree1638
fruiter1882
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 69 (MED) Euphrates, þat is to menynge fructuous and fruit berere [L. frugifer].
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) iv. vii. f. lxj I maye wel be cleped only the Appeltree and berer of this Appell.
1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole iii. xii. 574 The great Hungarian Cherrie of Zwerts is like both in leafe and fruite vnto the Morello cherrie, but..a far better bearer: for from a small branch hath beene gathered a pound of cherries.
1767 J. Abercrombie Every Man his Own Gardener 106 This bean is a remarkable great bearer; it is also a fine eating bean, and very profitable for the use of a family.
1891 G. A. Bethune Mines & Minerals Washington 60 It [sc. the Brunswick mine] is a bearer of ore of the galena variety, and is possessed of a twenty (20) inch vein.
1899 Amer. Math. Monthly 6 62 Two projective primal figures of the same kind of elements and both on the same bearer are called conjective.
2009 @Rick_Bayless 30 June in twitter.com (accessed 1 Apr. 2019) One of the new varieties this year (Yellow Lady) is going to be an early bearer.
III. Senses relating to bear v.1 II.† 10. A person who supports or holds up a physical weight. More usually: a person who backs up or upholds the interests of another; = supporter n. 1a. Cf. bearer up n. at Compounds 1b. Obsolete.† 14. English regional (Lincolnshire). A layer of wooden boards placed over part of the base of a drainage channel, to provide an area for cattle to stand and drink. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > [noun] > that which or one who supports > one who
uptakera1340
holder-upc1374
upbearer1387
bearera1398
undernimmera1400
weighera1400
upholderc1403
ally1406
allya1431
godfather?1541
propper1549
tower of strength1549
backer1583
moyener?1591
backfriend1599
stayer1611
suppositor1629
susceptor1652
standby1712
bottle holder1788
understander1875
buddy1893
anchorman1895
backer-up1921
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. v. xxix. 225 Þe neþir gobettis..of þe fyngres ben gretter and bradder þanne þe ouere gobettis, & [emended in ed. to as] þe berere is þe strenger and more stedefast þan þe þingis [read þing] þat is ibore.
1555 Bp. Ferrar in J. Strype Eccl. Memorials (1721) III. ii. App. xlvii. 144 The bolsterors and bearors of the promoters.
1699 H. Curson Compend. Laws Eng., Scotl. & Ireland (new ed.) 147 Justices of Assize... May hear and determine of..Maintainers, Bearers, and Alliances by Bond, &c.
11. A person who assumes or is charged with an obligation, cost, responsibility, etc.; spec. (in early use) one who shares such a charge with another. Chiefly with of.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > promise > [noun] > one who promises or vows
swearerc1380
beheterc1384
behighterc1475
promiserc1475
vower1546
votary1548
avower?1555
bearer1579
obligee1590
jurora1593
vow-fellow1598
vow-maker1598
stipulator1611
votist1613
plightera1616
voter1621
obligatora1625
obliger1633
promissor1644
promisor1665
sponsor1677
pledger1768
sanctioner1846
pledgee1924
oath-keepera1973
1579 J. Louth in J. G. Nichols Narr. Reformation (1859) 26 This burges was sore suspected of the lord chawncelor and the prelacy of this realme, that he was a fawtore of the religione that they called newe, and also a bearer with them in pryntyng of theyr bookes.
1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 144 (As men use to do in common payments, and taxes) we plead hard to have bearers & partners, that may go a share with us.
1895 C. F. Bastable Public Finance (ed. 2) iii. v. 342 The higher classes of wage-earners are admitted as possible bearers of taxation.
1972 Yale Law Jrnl. 81 1069 The existence of insurance and of other ways in which a cost is removed from its initial bearer and borne ultimately by others need not be reexamined here.
2005 Jerusalem Post (Nexis) 2 May 4 Police are not the sole bearers of responsibility for routing out crime.
12. Something that supports the weight of part of a structure; a structural support or stay. Also as the name of a device or part of a mechanism used as a support.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports
staffc1000
hold1042
source1359
legc1380
shorer1393
stabilimenta1398
upholder1398
sustentationa1400
undersetterc1400
bearinga1425
undersettinga1425
suppowellc1430
triclinec1440
sustentaclec1451
supportera1475
sustainerc1475
sustenal1483
stayc1515
buttress1535
underpinning1538
firmament1554
countenance1565
support1570
appuia1573
comfort1577
hypostasis1577
underpropping1586
porter1591
supportation1593
supportance1597
understaya1603
bearer1607
rest1609
upsetter1628
mountinga1630
sustent1664
underlay1683
holdfast1706
abutment1727
suppeditor1728
mount1739
monture1746
bed1793
appoggiatura1833
bracing1849
bench1850
under-pinner1859
bolster-piece1860
sustainer1873
table mount1923
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > support
bearer1607
pedestal1665
stud1694
arbor1728
seat1805
pillar1833
housing1839
seating1844
bed-plate1850
bedding-plate1879
1607 N. Geffe tr. O. de Serres Perfect Vse Silke-wormes 32 Cut the branches of the Mulberries..the which with all their boughes, you shall make to be carried into the house, where hanged as raisons vnder the bearers, planchers or other couertures in an ayrie place, as in barnes and haylofts, being then almost emptie, their leaues will drie well and quickly.
1668 R. Holland Parallax of Comet 5 Let a bearer for the Quadrant be made of convenient hight.
1771 L. Washington Let. 12 May in G. Washington Papers (1993) VIII. 468 I had the Mill stop'd..& the water run out of the Forebay & it properly supported, a post fix'd under each of the stone bearers, & shores against the Wall.
1846 Print. Appar. Amateurs 30 The introduction of ‘bearers’ which serve to reduce the pressure upon the types, or rather to bear off a part of the pressure.
1861 S. Smiles Lives Engineers II. 183 To check the effect of the bearers or strutts of the ribs.
1880 C. A. Edwards Organs ii. iii. 57 The bearers are strips of wood fixed between the sliders, which..support the weight of the upper boards, pipes, &c.
1914 Engin. & Mining Jrnl. 4 July 19/1 The bearers, however, are put in parallel to the wall plates.
1984 C. P. Bennett in R. Ratay Handbk. Temporary Struct. in Constr. xvi. 16 The different feature of this type of scaffold is that the inside ends of the bearers are supported at joints or courses in the wall being built instead of by inside posts.
13. Heraldry. Originally Scottish. A figure of an animal, mythical creature, human being, etc., represented as positioned beside the shield, holding it up; = supporter n. 4. Now historical and rare.Considered by N.E.D. (1887) to be a ‘traditional dictionary error’, copied in contemporary dictionaries from Johnson (see quot. 1755), who took the sense from Bailey (see quot. 1730).
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society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > extra-scutal devices > [noun] > figure on each side of escutcheon
supporter1568
bearer1680
1680 G. Mackenzie Sci. Herauldry xxxi. 93 The proper word for Supporters in Scotland is Bearers.
1730 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum (at cited word) Bearers [in Heraldry] see Supporters.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Bearer,..In heraldry. See Supporter.
1908 G. P. Bankart Art of Plasterer vii. 151 We have the cartouche shields at intervals, with lumpy animals, probably bearers, on either side.
1950 C. W. Scott-Giles Boutell's Heraldry (rev. ed.) xvi. 177 In Scottish heraldry, supporters, originally entitled bearers, appear at about the same period as in England.
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1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh II. viii. 89 In one of the drains a sunken floor of wood, called a bearer, was deposited for the purpose of making a safe watering place for the cattle.
Phrases
bearer of witness n. rare before 19th cent. a person who gives testimony (see to bear witness at witness n. Phrases 2). Cf. witness-bearer n. at witness n. Compounds 1.
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1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 29 A Berer of wytnes, testis.
1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Testator, a bearer of witness.
1851 Q. Rev. Jan. 83/1 Nor was any one present to contradict or cross-examine the bearers of witness.
1974 Times 7 Sept. 8/5 A seeker, a bearer of witness, he rated Dr Zhivago his finest work.
2000 New Straits Times (Malaysia) (Nexis) 19 July 4 We are all and should all be, bearers of witness for our brothers and sisters.
Compounds
C1.
a. With adverbs, in compound agent nouns corresponding to adverbial combinations of bear v.1 I., as in bearer about, bearer away, bearer-off, etc.
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1538 T. Elyot Dict. Nugigerulus, reade a bearer aboute of fables.
1547 Act 1 Edw. VI iii. §9 The..nurse, or other the bearer about of the childe.
1660 J. Howell Lex. Tetraglotton Dict. A Bearer out, or maintainer, Garent, Garentisseur.
1670 G. Keith Light of Truth 4 The bearer away of iniquity cannot be a meer spiritual Christ.
1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 41 The Bearer-off..carries the Bricks..to lay them singly down in Rows.
a1716 R. Trail Sel. Pract. Writings (1845) 310 The only bearer in of light and life upon the soul.
1866 J. E. White Rep. Brick-making in 5th Rep. Children's Employment Comm. 162/1 in Parl. Papers (3678) XXIV. 188/1 The big girl is a ‘bearer off’, and wheels away the bricks and places them in the row or ‘hack’ out in the yard to dry.
2006 I. Lyall In Season & Out 200 If you have never admitted Christ as the bearer-away of your sin and if you thus do not wait for him; if you are not putting your trust in him, then his return will indeed be a terrible day.
b.
bearer up n. now archaic and rare a person who backs up or upholds the interests of someone or something; (also) a person who holds up or supports someone or something physically; cf. sense 10.
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1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. 320/1 A susteynour and a berar vp of the chirch.
1613 P. Forbes Exquisite Comm. Reuelation St. Iohn (new ed.) 179 They were rather spoilers and rifelers then bearers vp of her.
1740 J. Salter Ordinary of Newgate, his Acct. No. 4. 14/1 By the Help of my Bearers up, I got all the Man's Money.
1874 J. Stainer in E. H. Plumptre Bible Educator III. 292/2 Any idea that the cherubim were the supporters or bearers up of God's throne must be at once dismissed.
1905 E. A. W. Budge Cook's Handbk. Egypt & Sudan i. 102 Shu.., god of the air, and bearer up of the sky.
1997 H. Davies In Valley this Restless Mind 71 Encourager and advocate, Comforter, the bearer-up, The voice of intercession.
C2.
a. Finance. As a modifier, designating a financial asset without a registered owner, where title is established by possession of the document representing the asset, and is freely transferable simply by the passing of the document to another; (also) designating a certificate or other document representing such an asset. Also: of or relating to this type of transaction. Cf. sense 5.The holder of a bearer certificate is not necessarily the actual owner of the asset itself.Some of the more established compounds of this type are entered separately at Compounds 2b.
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1873 S. Austral. Reg. (Adelaide) 20 Jan. 6/6 All loans therefore should be issued in ‘bearer’ form.
1897 Westm. Gaz. 5 Aug. 6/3 These bearer-warrants are, we venture to imagine, part of the £140,000 in fully-paid shares.
1934 Yale Law Jrnl. 43 589 Their right to act depends upon the presentation or deposit of the debentures themselves, if they are bearer debentures.
1963 Financial Times 30 July 6/5 The effect of Clause 59 is to divide bearer instruments into four main classes.
1990 Jrnl. Finance 45 1352 The first Eurobond was the June 1963 $15 million 5.5% bearer issue by the Italian state highway authority.
2016 Irish Times 7 Apr. 2 A bearer certificate for 100 $100 shares in Blueline was issued in 2005.
b.
bearer bond n.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > types of > unregistered
bearer share1853
bearer bond1866
bearer stock1870
bearer security1885
1866 N.Y. Times 17 Oct. 6/1 These bonds have coupons attached, and can be held either as registered bonds or bearer bonds.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XXV. 933/2 It has been found necessary to convert a part of the stocks into bearer bonds or shares.
2015 Internat. N.Y. Times (Nexis) 14 Mar. 10 The sale of bearer bonds has been largely banned in the United States since 1982 because of their potential use in money laundering and tax evasion.
bearer security n.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > types of > unregistered
bearer share1853
bearer bond1866
bearer stock1870
bearer security1885
1885 G. Rae Country Banker xv. 100 If certain of your customers choose to invest in ‘bearer’ securities..it is beyond reason to cast upon Bankers the formidable risk which is involved in their safe keeping.
2002 M. Simmons Securities Operations vi. 91 Holding bearer securities is effectively the same as holding banknotes, in that absolute proof of ownership without physical possession is extremely difficult to establish.
bearer share n.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > types of > unregistered
bearer share1853
bearer bond1866
bearer stock1870
bearer security1885
1853 F. J. Troubat tr. in Law Commandatary & Limited Partnership U.S. App. iii. 700 The mere possession of the bearer shares shall be a full title for him with the partnership.
2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. 4/1 (advt.) Upon deposit a certificate of entrance shall be provided and the relevant shareholder shall not be able to trade such bearer shares until and including the day of the Extraordinary General Meeting.
bearer stock n.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > types of > unregistered
bearer share1853
bearer bond1866
bearer stock1870
bearer security1885
1870 Tasmanian Times 5 Sept. He can previously get his stock discharged from the register, thus avoiding the stamp and disposing of the security of bearer stock.
1964 Financial Times 10 Feb. 10/7 Holders of Bearer Stock, to obtain this dividend, must deposit Coupon No. 251.
2000 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 24 Nov. 33 The bank was accused of failing ‘to maintain adequate security arrangements’ for bearer stocks.
C3.
bearer cheque n. a cheque made payable to the bearer, rather than to a named recipient; cf. sense 5.
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1873 Freeport (Illinois) Jrnl. 19 Feb. 4/2 Public confidence in Mr. Corfax was shaken by that $1,200 bank deposit, made the next day after the ‘S. C. or bearer’ check had been cashed.]
1874 Inter Ocean (Chicago) 30 May 12/5 (advt.) Lost—Bearer check given by Union Stock Yards National Bank.
1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 302/1 A Bearer cheque requires no endorsement (signature on the back) and will travel from one to another until some holder decides to bank it.
2019 Daily Times (Pakistan) (Nexis) 12 June He proposed that persons purchasing immovable property of fair market value greater than rupees 5 million..may be required to purchase through a banking instrument other than a bearer cheque.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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