Gear1, n.
n. [A.-S. geara, gearwa, provision, furniture, gearo, gearu, gearaw, ready, yare, Ger. gar, D. gaar, ready, dressed, done, A.-S. gearwian, gerwan, girwan, to prepare, O. H. Ger. garwen, M. H. Ger. gerwen, N. H. Ger. gerben, Sw. garfva, to tan, i. e., to prepare the leather.] [Written also geer.]
Sense 1. Whatever is prepared for use or wear; manufactured stuff or material; goods; riches; household stuff.
Clad in a vesture of unknown gear. Spencer.
Sense 2. Clothing, garments, ornaments, or dress.
Array thyself in thy most gorgeous gear. Spencer.
Sense 3. The harness or tackle of beasts of burden; horse trappings. Wright.
Sense 4. Warlike accouterments; military harness. [Scot.] Jamieson.
Sense 5. Business matters; affairs; concern. [Obs.]
Thus go they both together to their gear. Spencer.
Sense 6. (Mach.) (a.) A toothed wheel, or toothed wheels collectively; as, spur-gear or gears; beveled gears. (b.) The connection of toothed wheels with each other; gearing; as, in gear, or out of gear, that is, in or out of connection with each other.
Sense 7. (pl.) (Naut.) Purchases or tackles by which the lower yards are raised or lowered; — usually written gears. Totten.
Sense 8. Any thing worthless; stuff; nonsense; rubbish. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Wright.
That servant of his that confessed and uttered this gear was an honest man. Latimer.
Expansion-gear (Steam-eng.), the arrangement for cutting off steam by a valve at a certain part of the stroke, so as to leave it to act upon the piston expansively; the cut-off. See EXPANSION-GEAR.