Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A toothed machine part, such as a wheel or cylinder, that meshes with another toothed part to transmit motion or to change speed or direction.
  • noun A complete assembly that performs a specific function in a larger machine.
  • noun A transmission configuration for a specific ratio of engine to axle torque in a motor vehicle.
  • noun Equipment, such as tools or clothing, used for a particular activity: synonym: equipment.
  • noun Clothing and accessories.
  • noun Personal belongings, including clothing.
  • noun The harness for a horse.
  • noun A ship's rigging.
  • noun A sailor's personal effects.
  • intransitive verb To equip with gears.
  • intransitive verb To connect by gears.
  • intransitive verb To put into gear.
  • intransitive verb To adjust or adapt so as to make suitable.
  • intransitive verb To provide with gear; equip.
  • intransitive verb To come into or be in gear.
  • intransitive verb To shift a transmission.
  • intransitive verb To become adjusted so as to fit or blend.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A state of preparation or fitness; a suitable or fitting condition: as, to be out of gear; to bring anything into gear.
  • noun Whatever is prepared for use or wear; manufactured stuff or material; hence, habit; dress; ornaments; armor.
  • noun Any special set of things forming essential parts or appurtenances, or utilized for or connected with some special act, occupation, etc.: as, hunting-gear.
  • noun Naut.. the ropes, blocks, etc., belonging to any particular sail or spar: as, the mainsail-gear, the foretop-mast-gear.
  • noun In machinery, the appliances or furnishings connected with the acting parts of any piece of mechanism: as, expansion-gear, valve-gear. More particularly— Toothed wheels collectively. The connection of toothed wheels with each other; gearing: as, to throw machinery into or out of gear.
  • noun A coal-miners' set of tools.
  • noun plural In coal-mining, staging and rails for shipping coal on wharves.
  • noun Goods; property in general.
  • noun A matter; an affair; affairs collectively.
  • noun Ordinary manner; behavior; custom; practice.
  • noun The diameter of an imaginary wheel whose circumference is equal to the distance traversed by a safety-bicycle during a single revolution of the pedals: as, a 72-inch gear.
  • noun A toothed wheel in which the axial lines of any one tooth are made up of two helical lines of equal pitch, one right-handed and one left-handed, which meet at the center of the face or breadth of the toothed surface. Such gears are called herring-bone gears, from the V-shape which each tooth receives. In this latter form they can only be used when the shafts are parallel.
  • To put into gear; prepare for operation; fit with gear or gearing: as, to gear up a wagon; to gear a machine or an engine.
  • In machinery, to fit into another part, as one part of gearing into another. See gearing.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To dress; to put gear on; to harness.
  • transitive verb (Mach.) To provide with gearing.
  • transitive verb To adapt toward some specific purpose.
  • transitive verb driven through twofold compound gearing, to increase the force or speed; -- said of a machine.
  • noun Clothing; garments; ornaments.
  • noun Goods; property; household stuff.
  • noun Whatever is prepared for use or wear; manufactured stuff or material.
  • noun The harness of horses or cattle; trapping.
  • noun Scot. Warlike accouterments.
  • noun obsolete Manner; custom; behavior.
  • noun obsolete Business matters; affairs; concern.
  • noun A toothed wheel, or cogwheel; ; also, toothed wheels, collectively.
  • noun An apparatus for performing a special function; gearing.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English gere, equipment, from Old Norse gervi; akin to gera, to do, make, make ready.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old Norse gervi.

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