I. ˈgi(ə)r, -iə noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English gere, from Old English gearwe; akin to Old Saxon & Old High German garuwi equipment, clothing, Old Norse gervi, görvi; derivatives from the root of English yare
1.
a. : clothing , garments
b. : personal belongings or equipment
the sheds where the cowboys kept their gear
c. : movable property : household stuff : goods
all the gear that goes with a summer cottage
d. dialect chiefly Britain : food and liquor : sustenance
2. : equipment , paraphernalia
photographic gear
fishing gear
military gear
3.
a.
(1) : rigging ; specifically : the equipment required for any particular sail, spar, or function
(2) : the harness of horses or cattle : trappings
b. archaic : the organs of generation
4.
a. obsolete : a leaf of heddles
b. : a single complete setline
5. dialect chiefly Britain : rubbish , trash , junk
6. dialect chiefly Britain : concern , doings
7.
a.
(1) : a mechanism that performs a specific function in a complete machine
a valve gear
a steering gear
(2) : a toothed wheel
a bevel gear
a spur gear
a train of gears
(3) : working relation or adjustment
in gear
out of gear
b. : one of two to several adjustments of a motor-vehicle transmission that determine mechanical advantage, relative speed, and direction of travel — compare high I 1c(6), low IV 3f
Synonyms: see equipment
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English geren, from gere, n.
transitive verb
1. : dress , equip
women geared out in the height of fashion
2.
a. : to provide (as machinery) with gearing : connect by gearing : put into gear
b. : to harness (as a work animal) — often used with up
3.
a. : to put into a desired state of thorough internal coordination for effective and usually immediate operation
soldiers geared to strike in instantaneous retaliation
b. : to bring into precise adjustment so as to satisfy, conform, or harmonize or into close working relation so as to keep pace or qualify for integration
an institution geared to the needs of the blind
is the program geared to a fixed salary increase schedule? — W.H.Whyte
intransitive verb
1. of machinery : to be in or come into gear
2. : to adjust or become adjusted so as to match, blend, or harmonize
industry gearing with consumer needs