What does deare mean?
"Deare" is an obsolete form of the English word "dear," carrying the same meanings: someone who is loved and cherished, something held precious, or an article that is expensive. The extra final "e" reflects older English spelling conventions, before spelling was standardized, so the word appears regularly in literature from the medieval period through the seventeenth century — including the works of Shakespeare, where characters speak of their "deare" friends and loves. Today the spelling survives only in quotations from historical documents, facsimiles, and deliberate pastiche; readers encountering it should understand it as equivalent to "dear" rather than as a distinct word. It is unrelated etymologically or semantically to "deer," the animal, despite the visual similarity of the two spellings. For anyone reading early English texts, recognizing "deare" as simply an old rendering of "dear" prevents both misreading and misspelling.
adjective"Deare" is an archaic spelling of "dear," meaning beloved, cherished, or precious, or costly in price. The spelling appears chiefly in older English texts and is no longer standard.
- Beloved or cherished: an affectionate term for a person one loves.
- Precious or highly valued.
- Costly or high-priced.
"The old letter began, "My deare friend," its ink faded but its affection undimmed."
"The inscription read, "In memory of my deare wife, 1687.""
"Wool was deare that winter after the poor harvest."
For centuries, English speakers spelled the word for something beloved with an extra 'e' — which is why Shakespeare's characters say "my deare" rather than "my dear."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deare
The word derives from Old English "dēore," meaning precious or costly, from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz, related to Old High German "tiuri." The spelling "deare" reflects Middle English orthography, in which a final silent "e" was commonly added; it persisted into early modern printing before standardization settled on "dear" (with "deer" taking the animal). Its Germanic cousins include German "teuer" (expensive), showing the same root sense of high value.
How deare is actually used
This spelling is historical and should not be used in contemporary writing except when deliberately evoking older texts. In modern English, use "dear."
Easily confused with deare
Despite the near-identical spelling, "deer" is the animal, while "deare" is simply an old way of spelling "dear," meaning cherished or expensive.
"Dear" is the modern, standard spelling; "deare" is an obsolete variant found mainly in older printed texts.