Wean vs Gean - What's the difference?
wean | gean |
To cease giving milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.
* Bible, Genesis xxi. 8
To cause to quit something to which one is addicted or habituated.
* Jonathan Swift
To cease to depend on the mother for nourishment.
To cease to depend.
(Scotland) A small child.
* 2008 , (James Kelman), Kieron Smith, Boy , Penguin 2009, p. 92:
* Elizabeth Browning
A wild cherry tree, Prunus avium , native to Europe and western Asia or its small, dark fruit.
* 1955 , (Robin Jenkins), The Cone-Gatherers , Canongate 2012, p. 45:
*:‘Given the circumstances, Effie,’ he whispered, ‘I could blossom again like a gean -tree.’
As nouns the difference between wean and gean
is that wean is (scotland) a small child while gean is a wild cherry tree, prunus avium , native to europe and western asia or its small, dark fruit.As a verb wean
is to cease giving milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.wean
English
Etymology 1
(etyl) wenian.Verb
(en verb)- The cow has weaned her calf.
- Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned .
- He managed to wean himself off heroin.
- The troubles of age were intended to wean us gradually from our fondness of life.
- The kittens are finally weaning .
- She is weaning from her addiction to tobacco.
Etymology 2
.Noun
(en noun)- Pigs, cows and sheep and wee ducks, that was what he bought and it was just for weans and wee lasses. I said it to my maw.
- Oh it is not weans' it is children. Oh Kieron, it is children and girls, do not say ' weans and lasses.
- I, being but a yearling wean .