tear

TEAR, n.

1. Tears are the limpid fluid secreted by the lacrymal gland, and appearing in the eyes, or flowing from them. A tear, in the singular, is a drop or a small quantity of that fluid. Tears are excited by passions, particularly by grief. This fluid is also called forth by any injury done to the eye. It serves to moisten the cornea and preserve its transparency, and to remove any dust or fine substance that enters the eye and gives pain.

2. Something in the form of a transparent drop of fluid matter.

TEAR, v.t. [L. tero.]

1. To separate by violence or pulling; to rend; to lacerate; as, to tear cloth; to tear a garment, to tear the skin or flesh. We use tear and rip in different senses. To tear is to rend or separate the texture of cloth; to rip is to open a seam, to separate parts sewed together.

2. To wound; to lacerate.

The women beat their breasts, their cheeks they tear.

3. To rend; to break; to form fissures by any violence; as, torrents tear the ground.

4. To divide by violent measures; to shatter; to rend; as a state or government torn by factions.

5. To pull with violence; as, to tear the hair.

6. To remove by violence; to break up.

Or on rough seas from their foundation torn.

7. To make a violent rent.

In the midst, a tearing groan did break

The name of Antony.

To tear from, to separate and take away by force; as an isle torn from its possessor.

The hand of fate

Has torn thee from me.

To tear off, to pull off by violence; to strip.

To tear out, to pull or draw out by violence; as, to tear out the eyes.

To tear up, to rip up; to remove from a fixed state by violence; as, to tear up a floor; to tear up the foundations of government or order.

TEAR, v.i. To rave; to rage; to rant; to move and act with turbulent violence; as a mad bull.

TEAR, n. A rent; a fissure. [Little used.]

tear

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