Pound vs Bear - What's the difference?

As a noun pound

is short for pound-force, a unit of force/weight or pound can be a place for the detention of stray or wandering animals or pound can be a hard blow.

As a verb pound

is to confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound or pound can be (label) to strike hard, usually repeatedly.

As a pronoun bear is

pound

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) . Cognate with Dutch pond, German Pfund, Swedish pund.

Noun

(en noun) (sometimes pound after numerals)

Short for pound-force, a unit of force/weight.

A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 37 g). Today this value is the most common meaning of "pound" as a unit of weight.

* 28 July 2010 , Rachel Williams in The Guardian, Mothers who lose weight before further pregnancy ‘reduce risks’ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/28/mothers-lose-weight-reduce-risks?INTCMP=SRCH]

Research shows that retaining even one or two pounds after giving birth can make problems more likely in a subsequent pregnancy, experts said, with women who have several children facing a "slippery slope" if they continue to gain weight each time.

A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces (? 373.242 g). Today, this is a common unit of weight when measuring precious metals, and is little used elsewhere.

(US) The symbol (octothorpe, hash)

The unit of currency used in the United Kingdom and its dependencies. It is divided into 100 pence.

* November 11 2012 , Carole Cadwalladr in the Observer, Do online courses spell the end for the traditional university? [http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/nov/11/online-free-learning-end-of-university?INTCMP=SRCH]

For students in developing countries who can't get it any other way, or for students in the first world, who can but may choose not to. Pay thousands of pounds a year for your education? Or get it free online?

* 1860 , (George Eliot), The Mill on the Floss , Book 5, Chapter 6

"Only a hundred and ninety-three pound ," said Mr. Tulliver. "You've brought less o' late; but young fellows like to have their own way with their money. Though I didn't do as I liked before I was of age." He spoke with rather timid discontent.

Any of various units of currency used in Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, and formerly in the Republic of Ireland and Israel.

* Episode 4

He glanced back through what he had read and, while feeling his water flow quietly, he envied kindly Mr Beaufoy who had written it and received payment of three pounds , thirteen and six.

Any of various units of currency formerly used in the United States.

the Rhode Island pound'''; the New Hampshire '''pound

English plurals (unit of currency)

Usage notes

* Internationally, the "pound" has most commonly referred to the UK pound, £, (pound sterling). The other currencies were usually distinguished in some way, e.g., the "Irish pound" or the "punt". * In the vicinity of each other country calling its currency the pound among English speakers the local currency would be the "pound", with all others distinguished, e.g., the "British pound", the "Egyptian pound" etc. * The general plural of "pound" has usually been "pounds" (at least since Chaucer), but the continuing use of the Old English genitive or neuter "pound" as the plural after numerals (for both currency and weight) is common in some regions. It can be considered correct, or colloquial, depending on region. (English Citations of "pound")

Synonyms

* lb * lb t * (UK unit of currency) , pound sterling, GBP, quid (colloquial), nicker (slang) * (Other units of currency) punt (the former Irish currency) * hash (UK), sharp

Derived terms

* -pounder * * Amsterdam pound * avoirdupois pound * foot-pound * foot-pound-second * * metric pound * pack on the pounds * pink pound * pound cake * pound-foolish * pound-force * pound-for-pound * pound of flesh * pound shop * pound sign * take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves * ten pound pom * ten pound tourist * troy pound

Etymology 2

From (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)

A place for the detention of stray or wandering animals.

* 2002 , , 00:27:30:

(Police officer to a dog owner) "He'd better stay calm or I'll have the pound come and get him."

A place for the detention of automobiles that have been illegally parked, abandoned, etc.

The part of a canal between two locks, and therefore at the same water level.

A kind of fishing net, having a large enclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.

, title=[http://openlibrary.org/works/OL5535161W Mr. Pratt's Patients], chapter=1 , passage=Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season.}}

Usage notes

* (Manx English) uses this word uncountably.

Derived terms

* dog pound * impound * lobster pound

Verb

(en verb)

To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.

* 1644 , (John Milton), (Areopagitica); A speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England

And he who were pleasantly disposed, could not well avoid to liken it to the exploit of that gallant man, who thought to pound up the crows by shutting his park gate.

Etymology 3

From an alteration of earlier poun, pown, from (etyl) pounen, from (etyl) , pynd, in relation to the hollow mortar for pounding with the pestle.

Alternative forms

* (l), (l) (obsolete or dialectal)

Verb

(en verb)

(label) To strike hard, usually repeatedly.

*, chapter=12

, title=[http://openlibrary.org/works/OL5535161W Mr. Pratt's Patients] , passage=She had Lord James' collar in one big fist and she pounded the table with the other and talked a blue streak. Nobody could make out plain what she said, for she was mainly jabbering Swede lingo, but there was English enough, of a kind, to give us some idee.}}

(label) To crush to pieces; to pulverize.

To eat or drink very quickly.

To pitch consistently to a certain location.

To beat strongly or throb.

To penetrate sexually, with vigour.

To advance heavily with measured steps.

* 1899 , (Joseph Conrad),

We pounded along, stopped, landed soldiers; went on, landed custom–house clerks to levy toll in what looked like a God–forsaken wilderness, with a tin shed and a flag–pole lost in it; landed more soldiers—to take care of the custom–house clerks, presumably.

(label) To make a jarring noise, as when running.

(slang, dated) To wager a pound on.

*1854 , Dickens, Hard Times , Chapter 4:

*:Good-bye, my dear!' said Sleary. 'You'll make your fortun, I hope, and none of our poor folkth will ever trouble you, I'll pound it.

Synonyms

* (drink quickly)

Derived terms

* pounding * pound down * pound the pavement * pound the table * pound sand * pound town * pound up

Noun

(en noun)
A hard blow.

bear
English

Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) (m), from (etyl) ). (etymology notes) This is generally taken to be from (etyl) ), related to (m) and (m). The Germanic languages replaced the older name of the bear, , with the epithet "brown one", presumably due to taboo avoidance; compare (etyl) , literally “honey-eater”. However, Ringe (2006:106) doubts the existence of a root *b?er- meaning "brown" ("an actual PIE word of [the requisite] shape and meaning is not recoverable") and suggests that a derivation from (etyl) "should therefore perhaps be preferred", implying a Germanic merger of *??w'' and ''*g??'' (''*g??'' may sometimes result in Germanic ''*b'', perhaps e.g. in '''', but it also seems to have given the ''g'' in ''gun'' and the ''w'' in ''warm .)
Noun
(en noun)
A large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and raccoon, having shaggy hair, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of family Ursidae, particularly of subfamily .

(figuratively) A rough, unmannerly, uncouth person.

(finance) An investor who sells commodities, securities

(slang, US) A state policeman (short for smokey bear).

* 1976 June, CB Magazine , Communications Publication Corporation, Oklahoma City, June 40/3:

‘The bear's pulling somebody off there at 74,’ reported someone else.

(slang) A large, hairy man, especially one who is homosexual.

* 1990 , "Bears, gay men subculture materials" (publication title, , Collection Level Periodical Record):

* 2004 , Richard Goldstein, Why I'm Not a Bear'', in ''The Advocate , number 913, 27 April 2004, page 72:

I have everything it takes to be a bear : broad shoulders, full beard, semibald pate, and lots of body hair. But I don't want to be a fetish.

* 2006 , Simon LeVay, Sharon McBride Valente, Human sexuality :

There are numerous social organizations for bears in most parts of the United States. Lesbians don't have such prominent sexual subcultures as gay men, although, as just mentioned, some lesbians are into BDSM practices.

(engineering) A portable punching machine.

(nautical) A block covered with coarse matting, used to scour the deck.

Synonyms
* (large omnivorous mammal) see * see * (police officer) see
Antonyms
* (investor who anticipates falling prices) bull
Derived terms
* ant bear * Atlas bear * bear cat/bearcat * bear claw * bear cub * bear grass * bear hug * bear market * bearish * bearly * bear pit * bear's breech * bear spread * beartrap/bear trap * bear walker * black bear * brown bear * cat bear * cave bear * dancing bear * does a bear shit in the woods * Etruscan bear * Gobi bear * Great Bear * grizzly bear * gummy bear * honey bear * koala bear * kodiak bear/Kodiak bear * Little Bear * loaded for bear * mama bear * mamma bear * moon bear * native bear * panda bear * polar bear * she-bear * sloth bear * spectacled bear * sun bear * teddy bear * washing bear * water bear * white bear * wooly bear/woolly bear
Verb
(en verb)
(finance) To endeavour to depress the price of, or prices in.

to bear a railroad stock

to bear the market

Adjective
(-)
(finance, investments) Characterized by or believing to benefit of declining prices in securities markets.

The great bear market starting in 1929 scared a whole generation of investors.

See also
* ursine * *
References
* Donald A. Ringe, From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic'' (2006), ''Linguistic history of English, vol. 1 , Oxford: Oxford University Press (ISBN 0-19-955229-0)
Etymology 2
From (etyl) .
Verb

To support or sustain; to hold up.

This stone bears most of the weight.

To carry something.

* (rfdate), (Shakespeare):

I'll bear your logs the while.

* 2005 , Lesley Brown, translator, :

imitations that bear the same name as the things

* {{quote-book, 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, chapter=The Tutor's Daughter, Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page=266 citation
, passage=In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.}}
* {{quote-magazine, year=1954
, month=03 , first=Ray , last=Bradbury , title=All Summer in a Day , volume=6 , issue=3 , page=122 , magazine=The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , publisher=Fantasy House, Inc. , issn= citation , passage=They surged about her, caught her up and bore her }}
To be equipped with (something).

the right to bear arms

To wear or display.

The shield bore a red cross.

To declare as testimony.

The jury could see he was bearing''' false '''witness .

To put up with something.

I would never move to Texas—I can't bear heat.

Please bear with me as I ramble on and on about nothing very important, such as that time when I was in Montana and I may have seen a mountain lion, but it was pretty far off and it was raining—the weather, not the lion—and the car broke down...

To give birth to someone or something (may take the father of the direct object as an indirect object).

In Troy she becomes Paris’ wife, bearing him several children, all of whom die in infancy.

(ambitransitive) To produce or yield something, such as fruit or crops.

* (rfdate), (John Dryden)

this age to blossom, and the next to bear

To be, or head, in a specific direction or azimuth (from somewhere).

The harbour bears north by northeast.

By my readings, we're bearing due south, so we should turn about ten degrees east.

Great Falls bears north of Bozeman.

To suffer, as in carrying a burden.

* (rfdate) (Alexander Pope):

Man is born to bear .

To endure with patience; to be patient.

* (rfdate) (John Dryden):

I cannot, cannot bear .

To press; with on'', ''upon'', or ''against .

* (rfdate) (Addison):

These men bear hard on the suspected party.

To take effect; to have influence or force.

to bring matters to bear

To relate or refer; with on'' or ''upon .

How does this bear on the question?

To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect.

* (rfdate) (Nathaniel Hawthorne):

Her sentence bore that she should stand a certain time upon the platform.

(obsolete) To conduct; to bring (a person).

* (rfdate) (Shakespeare):

Bear them to my house.

To possess and use (power, etc.); to exercise.

* (rfdate) Bible, Esther 1.22:

Every man should bear rule in his own house.

To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbour.

* (rfdate) (Shakespeare):

the ancient grudge I bear him

(obsolete) To gain or win.

* (rfdate) (Francis Bacon):

Some think to bear it by speaking a great word.

* (rfdate) (Latimer):

She was found not guilty, through bearing of friends and bribing of the judge.

To sustain, or be answerable for (blame, expense, responsibility, etc.).

* (rfdate) Bible, Isaiah 53:11:

He shall bear their iniquities.

* (rfdate) (John Dryden):

somewhat that will bear your charges

To carry on, or maintain; to have.

* (rfdate) (John Locke):

the credit of bearing a part in the conversation

To admit or be capable of; to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change.

* (rfdate) (Jonathan Swift):

In all criminal cases the most favourable interpretation should be put on words that they can possibly bear .

To manage, wield, or direct; to behave or conduct (oneself).

* (rfdate) (Shakespeare):

Thus must thou thy body bear .

* (rfdate) (Shakespeare):

Hath he borne himself penitently in prison?

To afford; to be (something) to; to supply with.

* (rfdate) (Alexander Pope):

His faithful dog shall bear him company.

Usage notes
* The past participle of bear'' is usually ''borne : ** He could not have borne that load. ** She had borne five children. ** This is not to be borne ! * However, when bear'' means "to give birth to" (literally or figuratively), the passive past participle is ''born : ** She was born on May 3. ** Born three years earlier, he was the eldest of his siblings. ** "The idea to create [the Blue Ridge Parkway] was born in the travail of the Great Depression ." (Tim Pegram, The Blue Ridge Parkway by Foot: A Park Ranger's Memoir , ISBN 0786431407, 2007, page 1) * Both spellings are used in the construction born(e) to someone (as a child): ** He was born(e) to Mr. Smith. ** She was born(e) to the most powerful family in the city. ** "[M]y father was borne to a Swedish mother and a Norwegian father, both devout Lutherans." (David Ross, Good Morning Corfu: Living Abroad Against All Odds , ISBN 1452450323, 2009)
Derived terms
* bear down * bear down on * bear fruit * bear in mind * bear out * bear up * bear with * bear witness * bring to bear * not bear thinking about * outbear
Statistics
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Anagrams
* * English irregular verbs English terms with multiple etymologies English verbs with two objects 1000 English basic words ----