GEAR Gear, n. Etym: [OE. gere, ger, AS. gearwe clothing, adornment, armor, fr. gearo, gearu, ready, yare; akin to OHG. garawi, garwi ornament, dress. See Yare, and cf. Garb dress.]
1. Clothing; garments; ornaments. Array thyself in thy most gorgeous gear. Spenser.
2. Goods; property; household stuff. Chaucer. Homely gear and common ware. Robynson (More's Utopia)
3. Whatever is prepared for use or wear; manufactured stuff or material. Clad in a vesture of unknown gear. Spenser.
4. The harness of horses or cattle; trapping.
5. Warlike accouterments. [Scot.] Jamieson.
6. Manner; custom; behavior. [Obs.] Chaucer.
7. Business matters; affairs; concern. [Obs.] Thus go they both together to their gear. Spenser.
8. (Mech.) (a) A toothed wheel, or cogwheel; as, a spur gear, or a bevel gear; also, toothed wheels, collectively. (b) An apparatus for performing a special function; gearing; as, the feed gear of a lathe. (c) Engagement of parts with each other; as, in gear; out of gear.
9. pl. (Naut.)