sear, sere, seer, seere

[A. S. sedr; cognate with O. Dut. sore, zoor dry, withered; Low Ger. so or.] Dry, dried up, withered; no longer green and fresh. "Old age like sear trees is seldom seen affected." Beaum. & Flet.: Wit without Money, iii. 1. *sear (1), s . & v . [CERE, 8. & v.] sear (2), s . [Fr. serre a bar, a lock, from Latin sera a bar, a bolt.] 8. Firearms: The pivoted piece in a gun-lock, which enters the notches of the tumbler to hold the ham mer at full or half-cock, and is released therefrom by pulling the trigger in the act of firing. The half cock notch is made so deep that the sear cannot be withdrawn by the trigger.