TEAR, n.
1. Tears are the limpid fluid secreted by the lacrymal gland, and appearing in the eyes, or flowing from them. A tear, in the singular, is a drop or a small quantity of that fluid. Tears are excited by passions, particularly by grief. This fluid is also called forth by any injury done to the eye. It serves to moisten the cornea and preserve its transparency, and to remove any dust or fine substance that enters the eye and gives pain.
2. Something in the form of a transparent drop of fluid matter.
TEAR, L. tero.
1. To separate by violence or pulling to rend to lacerate as, to tear cloth to tear a garment, to tear the skin or flesh. We use tear and rip in different senses. To tear is to rend or separate the texture of cloth to rip is to open a seam, to separate parts sewed together.
2. To wound to lacerate.
The women beat their breasts, their cheeks they tear.
3. To rend to break to form fissures by any violence as, torrents tear the ground.
4. To divide by violent measures to shatter to rend as a state or government torn by factions.
5. To pull with violence as, to tear the hair.
6. To remove by violence to break up.
Or on rough seas from their foundation torn.
7. To make a violent rent.
In the midst, a tearing groan did break
The name of Antony.
To tear from, to separate and take away by force as an isle torn from its possessor.
The hand of fate
Has torn thee from me.
To tear off, to pull off by violence to strip.
To tear out, to pull or draw out by violence as, to tear out the eyes.
To tear up, to rip up to remove from a fixed state by violence as, to tear up a floor to tear up the foundations of government or order.
TEAR, To rave to rage to rant to move and act with turbulent violence as a mad bull.
TEAR, n. A rent a fissure. Little used.