[gear] n [ME gere, fr. ON gervi, gorvi; akin to OE gearwe equipment, clothing, gearu ready--more at yare] (14c) 1 a: clothing, garments b: movable property: goods
2: equipment, paraphernalia "fishing ~" 3 a: the rigging of a ship or boat b: the harness esp. of horses
4. dial chiefly Brit: absurd talk: nonsense
5. dial chiefly Brit: doings
6. a (1): a mechanism that performs a specific function in a complete machine "steering ~" (2): a toothed wheel (3): working relation, position, order, or adjustment "got her career in ~" 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 adj
[2]gear vt (1851) 1 a: to provide (as machinery) with gearing b: to connect by gearing
2. a: to make ready for effective operation b: to adjust so as to match, blend with, or satisfy something "~ing wages to productivity" ~ vi 1 a Brit, of machinery: to be in gear: mesh b: shift 1c "~ down"
2: to become adjusted so as to match, blend, or harmonize