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Gear

1. Clothing; garments; ornaments. Array thyself in thy most gorgeous gear. (Spenser)

2. Goods; property; household stuff. Homely gear and common ware. (Robynson (mores 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.

6. Manner; custom; behavior.

7. Business matters; affairs; concern. Thus go they both together to their gear. (Spenser)

8. (Science: mechanics) a toothed wheel, or cogwheel; as, a spur gear, or a bevel gear; also, toothed wheels, collectively. An apparatus for performing a special function; gearing; as, the feed gear of a lathe.

engagement of parts with each other; as, in gear; out of gear.

9. Anything worthless; stuff; nonsense; rubbish. That servant of his that confessed and uttered this gear was an honest man. (Latimer) Bever gear. See bevel gear. Core gear, a mortise gear, or its skeleton. See mortise wheel, under mortise. Expansion gear, to connect or disconnect (wheelwork or couplings, etc); to put in, or out of, working relation.

Origin: 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.