01 a. Dry; withered; no longer green; -- applied to leaves.
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1.
Dry; withered; no longer green; -- applied to leaves.“I have lived long enough; my way of life Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf.” — Shak.
Entry
4 senses · 3 variants
Webster, 1913
Sear
/(sēr)/
· IPA /sɪɚ/
02 v. t. To wither; to dry up.
imp. & p. p.
Seared; p. pr. & vb. n.
Searing
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1.
To wither; to dry up.
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2.
To burn (the surface of) to dryness and hardness; to cauterize; to expose to a degree of heat such as changes the color or the hardness and texture of the surface; to scorch; to make callous; as, to sear the skin or flesh. Also used figuratively.“I'm seared with burning steel.” — Rowe.“It was in vain that the amiable divine tried to give salutary pain to that seared conscience.” — Macaulay.“The discipline of war, being a discipline in destruction of life, is a discipline in callousness. Whatever sympathies exist are seared.” — H. Spencer.
Phrases & compounds
To sear up —
to close by searing.
03 n. The catch in a gunlock by which the hammer is held cocked or half cocked.
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1.
The catch in a gunlock by which the hammer is held cocked or half cocked.
Phrases & compounds
Sear spring —
the spring which causes the sear to catch in the notches by which the hammer is held.