ear

ear
\ \ Ear for hearing and ear of corn seem in some way to belong together, but in fact they are two quite distinct words etymologically. Ear for hearing [OE] is an ancient term that goes right back to the Indo-European roots of the language.
\ \ Its ancestor is the base *aus-, whose underlying signification was perhaps ‘perception’ (a variant, *au-, produced Greek aisthánomai ‘perceive’).
\ \ This lies behind the term for ‘ear’ in the majority of European languages: French oreille, for example, Italian orecchio, Spanish oreja, Romanian ureche, Irish ó, Russian and Polish ucho, and modern Greek autí. Its Germanic descendant, *auzon, produced German ohr, Dutch oor, Gothic ausō, Swedish öra, and English ear.
\ \ The etymological sense of ear of corn [OE] is ‘spike’ of corn. The word comes from a prehistoric Germanic *akhuz, which goes back ultimately to the Indo-European base *ak- ‘be pointed or sharp’ (ultimate source of English acid, acne, acute, eager, edge, and oxygen).
\ \ Cf.⇒ ACID, ACNE, ACUTE, EAGER, EDGE, OXYGEN

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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Synonyms:
/ , , / , , , / (of grain),


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  • ear — W2S2 [ıə US ır] n ↑ear, ↑nose, ↑tooth, ↑eye ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(part of your body)¦ 2¦(hearing)¦ 3¦(grain)¦ 4 smile/grin etc from ear to ear 5 6 a sympathetic ear 7 close/shut your ears to something …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Ear — Ear, n. [AS. e[ a]re; akin to OFries. [ a]re, [ a]r, OS. ?ra, D. oor, OHG. ?ra, G. ohr, Icel. eyra, Sw. [ o]ra, Dan. [ o]re, Goth. auso, L. auris, Lith. ausis, Russ. ukho, Gr. ?; cf. L. audire to hear, Gr. ?, Skr. av to favor, protect. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ear — ear1 [ir] n. [ME ere < OE ēare akin to Goth ausō, Ger ohr < IE base * ous , ear > L auris, Gr ous, OIr au] 1. the part of the body specialized for the perception of sound; organ of hearing: the human ear consists of the external ear, the …   English World dictionary

  • ear — [ ır ] noun *** 1. ) count one of the two parts at the sides of your head that you hear with: He whispered something in her ear. 2. ) singular the ability to hear and judge sounds: She has a very good ear for music. 3. ) count the part at the top …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Ear — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Nombre Anglosajón Ear tumba Forma Futhorc …   Wikipedia Español

  • ear — Ⅰ. ear [1] ► NOUN 1) the organ of hearing and balance in humans and other vertebrates. 2) the fleshy external part of this organ. 3) (in other animals) an organ sensitive to sound. 4) an ability to recognize and appreciate music or language. 5)… …   English terms dictionary

  • ear — for hearing and ear of corn seem in some way to belong together, but in fact they are two quite distinct words etymologically. Ear for hearing [OE] is an ancient term that goes right back to the Indo European roots of the language. Its ancestor… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • Ear — Ear, n. [AS. ear; akin to D. aar, OHG. ahir, G. [ a]hre, Icel., Sw., & Dan. ax, Goth. ahs. ???. Cf. {Awn}, {Edge}.] The spike or head of any cereal (as, wheat, rye, barley, Indian corn, etc.), containing the kernels. [1913 Webster] First the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • EAR — steht für: East African Railways, eine Bahngesellschaft der drei ostafrikanischen Staaten Kenia, Uganda und Tansania Einnahmen Ausgaben Rechnung, im Steuerrecht, siehe Einnahmenüberschussrechnung Elektro Altgeräte Register, siehe Elektro und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ear — Ear, v. t. [OE. erien, AS. erian; akin to OFries. era, OHG. erran, MHG. eren, ern, Prov. G. aren, [ a]ren, Icel. erja, Goth. arjan, Lith. arti, OSlav. orati, L. arare, Gr. ?. Cf. {Arable}.] To plow or till; to cultivate. To ear the land. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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