*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Bear

* As an English surname, related to bear * As a German surname, spelling variant of Baer and Bahr

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname. · The constellation Ursa Major. · A male given name. · An unincorporated community in Garland County, Arkansas.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* As an English surname, related to bear * As a German surname, spelling variant of Baer and Bahr

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "German"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bear",
      "bear#English"
    ],
    [
      "Baer",
      "Baer#English"
    ],
    [
      "Bahr",
      "Bahr#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname.",
        "The constellation Ursa Major.",
        "A male given name.",
        "An unincorporated community in Garland County, Arkansas."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "58220ba5c51aef0ae5cfa8fcb540522fcfdfe2bfa3d064f12d7760ecccaaeb90",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f37d4b4c74424ac7e2b225b4e572f22349f62022541790764e34c707d465281d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4457394
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Bear →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QmVhcg