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Care

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care¹

  • /kɛə/ UK
  • /kɛɚ/ US
  • [kʰe(ə̯)ɹ] US
  • [kʰɛ(ə̯)ɹ] US
  • /kɪə(ɹ)/ dialectal
  • /keː/ Australia
  • /keə/ New Zealand
  • /kiə/
  • /keɹ/ Scotland
  • /kɜː(ɹ)/

Sounds like Keir (cheer–chair merger), cur (fair–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r-der.

Proto-Germanic *karō

Proto-West Germanic *karu

Old English caru

Middle English care

English care

From Middle English care, from Old English caru, ċearu (“care, concern, anxiety, sorrow, grief, trouble”), from Proto-West Germanic *karu, from Proto-Germanic *karō (“care, sorrow, cry”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“shout, call”). Cognate with Old Saxon cara, kara (“concern, action”), Middle High German kar (“sorrow, lamentation”), Icelandic kör (“sickbed”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍂𐌰 (kara, “concern, care”). Related also to Dutch karig (“scanty”), German karg (“sparse, meagre, barren”), Latin garriō, Ancient Greek γῆρυς (gêrus). See also chary.

noun cares

  1. countable, uncountable Close attention; concern; responsibility. Care should be taken when holding babies.
  2. countable, uncountable Worry. I don’t have a care in the world.
  3. uncountable Maintenance, upkeep. dental care
  4. uncountable The treatment of those in need (especially as a profession). The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.
  5. UK, uncountable The state of being cared for by others. in care
  6. countable, uncountable The object of watchful attention or anxiety. Right sorrowfully mourning her bereaved cares.
  7. countable, obsolete, uncountable Grief, sorrow. More health and happiness betide my liege / Than can my care-tuned tongue deliver him!

care²

  • /kɛə/ UK
  • /kɛɚ/ US
  • [kʰe(ə̯)ɹ] US
  • [kʰɛ(ə̯)ɹ] US
  • /kɪə(ɹ)/ dialectal
  • /keː/ Australia
  • /keə/ New Zealand
  • /kiə/
  • /keɹ/ Scotland
  • /kɜː(ɹ)/

Sounds like Keir (cheer–chair merger), cur (fair–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English caren, carien, from Old English carian (“to sorrow, grieve, be troubled, be anxious, to care for, heed”), from Proto-West Germanic *karōn (“to care”), from Proto-Germanic *karōną (“to care”).

Cognate with Old Saxon karōn (“to lament”), Middle High German karen, karn (“to complain, lament, grieve, mourn”), archaic German karen (“to groan, gasp”), Alemannic German karen, kären (“to groan, gasp”), Swedish kära (“to fall in love”), Icelandic kæra (“to care, like”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍂𐍉𐌽 (karōn, “to be concerned”).

verb cares · caring · cared · care

  1. intransitive, transitive To be concerned (about), to have an interest (in); to feel concern (about). She doesn’t care what you think.
  2. formal, intransitive, polite To want, to desire; to like; to be inclined towards or interested in. Would you care for another slice of cake?
  3. broadly, informal, intransitive To be affected by, to treat as relevant for a subsequent course of action. An event aggregator facilitates a fire-and-forget model of communication. The object triggering the event doesn’t care if there are any subscribers. It just fires the event and moves on.
  4. intransitive (with for) To look after or look out for. Young children can learn to care for a pet.
  5. Appalachia, intransitive To mind; to object. After introducing herself, the therapist then asked the patient if it would be all right to do the exercises which the doctor had ordered for her. The patient would response, "Well, I don't care to." For several days, the therapist immediately left the room and officially recorded that the patient h

Similar: becare, bother, care, concern oneself, heed, mind, reck, trouble oneself, worry

Care³

proper noun Cares

  1. A surname.

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