English word dear comes from Proto-Indo-European *dʰō(w)-, Proto-Indo-European *dʰéws, Proto-Indo-European *dʰewes-, Proto-Indo-European *dʰerh₃-, Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰris, and later Proto-Germanic *diurijaz (Dear, precious. Expensive.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *dʰō(w)- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *dʰéws | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *dʰewes- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | to whisk, sprinkle, scatter, twirl |
| *dʰerh₃- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *dʰegʷʰris | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *dʰewsós | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *dʰórh₃eh₂ | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *diurijaz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Dear, precious. Expensive. |
| *dʰewsóm | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *deuzaz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Wild, fierce, bold. |
| dēore | Old English (ang) | |
| deore | Old English (ang) | Dearly Dear. |
| *darō | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Injury; damage; harm. |
| *deuzą | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | (wild) animal, beast. |
| daru | Old English (ang) | |
| dȳr | Old English (ang) | |
| der | Middle English (enm) | |
| dear | English (en) | (obsolete) Fierce.. Severe, or severely affected; sore. |