different between intimate vs dear

English

Etymology

From Latin intimare (“to put or bring into, to impress, to make familiar”), from intimus (“inmost, innermost, most intimate”), superlative of intus (“within”), from in (“in”); see interior.

Pronunciation

Adjective, noun

• enPR: ?n't?m?t, IPA^(key): /??n.t?.m?t/

Verb

• enPR: ?n't?m?t, IPA^(key): /??n.t?.me?t/

Adjective

intimate (comparative more intimate, superlative most intimate)

1. Closely acquainted; familiar.

   an intimate friend

   He and his sister deeply valued their intimate relationship as they didn't have much else to live for.

2. Of or involved in a sexual relationship.

   She enjoyed some intimate time alone with her husband.

3. Personal; private.

   an intimate setting

4. Pertaining to details that require great familiarity to know.

Translations

Noun

intimate (plural intimates)

1. A very close friend.

   Only a couple of intimates had ever read his writing.

2. (in plural intimates) Women's underwear, sleepwear, or lingerie, especially offered for sale in a store.

   You'll find bras and panties in the women's intimates section upstairs.

Synonyms

• (close friend): bosom buddy, bosom friend, cater-cousin

Translations

Verb

intimate (third-person singular simple present intimates, present participle intimating, simple past and past participle intimated)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To suggest or disclose (something) discreetly.

   •     The Kaiser beamed. Von Bulow had praised him. Von Bulow had exalted him and humbled himself. The Kaiser could forgive anything after that. "Haven't I always told you," he exclaimed with enthusiasm, "that we complete one another famously? We should stick together, and we will!"
         [...]
         Von Bulow saved himself in time—but, canny diplomat that he was, he nevertheless had made one error: he should have begun by talking about his own shortcomings and Wilhelm's superiority—not by intimating that the Kaiser was a half-wit in need of a guardian.

   He intimated that we should leave before the argument escalated.

2. (transitive, India) To notify.

   I will intimate you when the details are available.

Translations

Related terms

• intimacy
• intimation

Further reading

• intimate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• intimate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• antitime

Esperanto

Adverb

intimate

1. present adverbial passive participle of intimi

Italian

Verb

intimate

1. second-person plural present indicative of intimare
2. second-person plural imperative of intimare
3. feminine plural of intimato

Anagrams

• imitante

Latin

Verb

intim?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of intim?

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /d??/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d??/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /di??/
• Rhymes: -??(r)
• Homophones: deer, Deere

Etymology 1

From Middle English dere, from Old English d?ere (“of great value or excellence, expensive, beloved”), from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz (“dear, precious, expensive”). Cognate with Scots dere, deir (“of great value or worth, highly valued, precious, beloved”), Saterland Frisian djuur (“precious, dear, costly, expensive”), Dutch duur (“costly, precious”), German teuer (“costly, precious”), Danish dyr (“expensive”), Swedish dyr (“expensive”), Norwegian dyr (“expensive”), Icelandic dýr (“expensive”).

Adjective

dear (comparative dearer, superlative dearest)

1. (generally dated) High in price; expensive.
   • 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant Of Venice, Act IV Scene 1

     There's more depends on this than on the value.

     The dearest ring in Venice will I give you,

     And find it out by proclamation:

     Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.

   • 1902, Briquettes as Fuel in Foreign Countries (report of the United States Bureau of Foreign Commerce):

     This water is sold for 50 cents per ton, which is not dear under the circumstances.

   • 1966, The Beatles, When I'm Sixty-Four

     Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear.

2. Loved; lovable.
   • So this was my future home, I thought! […] Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.

3. Lovely; kind.
4. Loving, affectionate, heartfelt

5. Precious to or greatly valued by someone.

6. A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.

7. A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
8. An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior.

9. (obsolete) Noble.

Derived terms

Related terms

• darling

Translations

Noun

dear (plural dears)

1. A very kind, loving person.

   My cousin is such a dear, always drawing me pictures.

2. A beloved person.
3. An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife.

   Pass me the salt, would you dear?

Synonyms

• (kind loving person): darling

Derived terms

• oh dear
• the dear knows

Translations

Verb

dear (third-person singular simple present dears, present participle dearing, simple past and past participle deared)

1. (obsolete) To endear.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shelton to this entry?)

Derived terms

• bedear

Adverb

dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)

1. dearly; at a high price

Interjection

dear

1. Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.

   Dear, dear! Whatever were they thinking?

See also

• oh dear
• dear me

Etymology 2

From Middle English dere (“fierce, severe, hard, deadly”), from Old English d?or, d?r (“brave, bold; severe, dire, vehement”), from Proto-Germanic *deuzaz. Cognate with the above

Adjective

dear (comparative more dear, superlative most dear)

1. Severe, or severely affected; sore.
2. (obsolete) Fierce.

Translations

References

• The Middle English Dictionary

Anagrams

• 'eard, DARE, Dare, Rade, Read, Reda, ared, dare, rade, read

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [d?a??]

Verb

dear (present analytic dearann, future analytic dearfaidh, verbal noun dearadh, past participle deartha)

1. To draw (design).

Conjugation

Mutation