rear¹ / ri(ə)r/ • n. [in sing.] the back part of something, esp. a building or vehicle: the kitchen door at the rear of the house. ∎  the space or position at the back of something or someone: the field at the rear of the church. ∎  the hindmost part of an army, fleet, or line of people: two blue policemen at the rear fell out of the formation. ∎  (also rear end) inf. a person's buttocks.• adj. at the back: the car's rear window.PHRASES: bring up the rear be at the very end of a line of people. ∎  come last in a race or other contest.rear² • v. 1. [tr.] (usu. be reared) bring up and care for (a child) until they are fully grown, esp. in a particular manner or place: he was born and reared in New York City a generation reared on video. ∎  (of an animal) care for (its young) until they are fully grown. ∎  breed and raise (animals): the calves are reared for beef. ∎  grow or cultivate (plants): [as adj. , in comb.] (-reared) laboratory-reared plantlets. 2. [intr.] (of a horse or other animal) raise itself upright on its hind legs: the horse reared in terror. ∎  (of a building, mountain, etc.) extend or appear to extend to a great height: houses reared up on either side. ∎  [tr.] archaic set (something) upright.PHRASES: rear one's head raise one's head. ∎  (rear its head) (of an unpleasant matter) emerge; present itself: elitism is rearing its ugly head again.PHRASAL VERBS: rear up (of a person) show anger or irritation; go on the attack: the press reared up in the wake of the bombings.DERIVATIVES: rear·er n.

rear or rere vault. Internal arch or vault (called arrière voussure or scoinson arch) at the head of a splayed Gothic aperture springing from the jambs, corbels, or attached shafts (escoinsons) at the angles of jambs and interior walls.

rear1 set up, lift up, raise (lit. and fig.) OE.; bring up, breed XV; intr. rise on the hind feet XIV. OE. ræ̃ran = ON. reisa (cf. Goth. urraisjan awaken):- Gmc. *raizjan, causative of *reisan RISE. Superseded in many senses by the Scand. RAISE.

rear2 hindmost part. XVI. In earliest use military and naval; prob. extracted from phr. in the rearward (XV) or simply a shortening of rearward or rearguard. See next.