deary

English

Alternative forms

• dearie

Etymology

From dear +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪəɹi/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American, mirror–nearer merger) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪɹi/
• (US, without the mirror–nearer merger) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪɚi/, /ˈdiɹi/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈdiɹɪ/, /ˈdiɹe/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈdiəɹi/
• (East Anglia, cheer–chair merger) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛːɹi/
• Rhymes: -ɪəɹi
• Homophones: dearie; dairy (cheer–chair merger)

Noun

deary (plural dearies)

1. (informal) A dear; a darling.
2. (informal) A term of address for a female.

   Listen, deary: I'd appreciate your not talking about my son like that.

Related terms

• deary me

References

• “deary”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Ready, Yarde, dayer, deray, rayed, ready, yeard