zeer

zeer (plural zeers)

1. Alternative form of zir (“water jug”)
   • 1908, Wellcome Tropical Research Laboratories, Report of the Wellcome Tropical Research Laboratories at the Gordon Memorial College, Khartoum v. 3, 1908 suppl:

     Cholera is in the majority of cases a water-borne disease, due to water having become Cholera-contaminated [...] Water from zeers and goulahs should be looked upon with suspicion unless these are carefully watched and cleaned.

   • 1910, Sir Ronald Ross, The Prevention of Malaria, page 535:

     Before leaving Khartoum the bilge water in the various sections should be oiled by pouring petroleum on the surface [...] collections will harbour mosquito larvae, and attention should therefore be paid to the water-closet cisterns, zeers and tanks.

From Persian زهر (zahr).

zeer

1. poison

   Synonyms: zıqım, zeher

• “zeer”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

• IPA^(key): /zeːr/

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• Hyphenation: zeer
• Rhymes: -eːr

From Middle Dutch sêer, from Old Dutch sēr, from Proto-Germanic *sairaz.

zeer (comparative zeerder, superlative zeerst)

1. sore, painful
2. painful, grieving
3. hurtful
4. affected by a painful skin syndrome

• zeerheid
• zeerte
• zeeroog
• zeerkop
• zeerhoofdig

• Afrikaans: seer
• Berbice Creole Dutch: sere
• Jersey Dutch: zêr
• Negerhollands: seer, se

From Middle Dutch sêer, from Old Dutch sēr, from Proto-Germanic *sairą.

zeer n (plural zeren, diminutive zeertje n)

1. A physical pain, ache, hurt
2. grief, suffering
3. (archaic) A sore spot; crust on a wound, boil etc.
4. (archaic) A cause of physical pain, notably disease; discomfort, uneasiness
5. (obsolete) A flaw, fault, sin, defect

• (pain): pijn

• bezeren
• buikzeer, hartzeer, hoofdzeer, koningszeer,

kopzeer, kwaadzeer, tandzeer

• zeerachtig, zeerbaar, zerig, kleinzerig
• zeerdom
• zeering
• zeerwording

• Afrikaans: seer
• Negerhollands: seer
• Skepi Creole Dutch: sair

From Middle Dutch sêre, from Old Dutch sēro, from Proto-Germanic *sairaz. Equivalent to adverbial use of etymology 1.

zeer

1. very, to a high degree or intensity
2. (literally) sorely, painfully, notably in zeer doen (“to hurt”)

• Afrikaans: seer

• reze