borne
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to borne: ceaselessly
borne
past participle of the verb bear: She had always borne the burden of responsibility.
Not to be confused with:
born – brought forth by birth: He was born in a log cabin.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
borne
(bôrn)v.
A past participle of bear1.
adj.
1. Carried or transported by. Often used in combination: current-borne plankton.
2. Transmitted by. Often used in combination: mosquito-borne diseases.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
borne
(bɔːn)vb
1. for all active uses of the verb, the past participle of bear1
2. for all passive uses of the verb except sense 4 unless followed by by, the past participle of bear1
3. be borne in on be borne in upon (of a fact) to be realized by (someone): it was borne in on us how close we had been to disaster.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bear1
(bɛər)v. bore, borne born, bear•ing. v.t.
1. to hold up or support: The columns bear the weight of the roof.
2. to give birth to: to bear a child.
3. to produce by natural growth: a tree that bears fruit.
4. to sustain or be capable of: This claim doesn't bear close examination. The view bears comparison with the loveliest sights.
5. to drive or push: The crowd was borne back by the police.
6. to carry or conduct (oneself, one's body, etc.): to bear oneself bravely.
7. to suffer; endure or tolerate: He bore the blame. I can't bear your nagging.
8. to warrant or be worthy of: It doesn't bear repeating.
9. to carry; bring: to bear gifts.
10. to carry in the mind or heart: to bear malice.
11. to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).
12. to render; afford; give: to bear testimony.
13. to have and be entitled to: to bear title.
14. to exhibit; show: to bear a resemblance.
15. to accept or have as an obligation: to bear the cost.
16. to possess as a quality or characteristic; have in or on: to bear traces; to bear an inscription.
v.i. 17. to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear left.
18. to be situated: The lighthouse bears due north.
19. to bring forth young, fruit, etc.
20. bear down,
a. to press or weigh down.
b. to strive harder.
21. bear down on,
a. to press or weigh down on.
b. to strive toward.
c. to move toward rapidly and threateningly.
22. bear on or upon, to be relevant to; affect.
23. bear out, to substantiate; confirm.
24. bear up, to face hardship bravely; endure.
25. bear with, to be patient with.
Idioms: bring to bear , to force to have an impact: to bring pressure to bear on union members to end a strike.
[before 900; Middle English beren, Old English beran, c. Old High German beran, Old Norse bera, Gothic bairan to carry, Skt bhárati (one) carries, Latin ferre, Greek phérein to carry]
syn: bear, stand, endure refer to supporting the burden of something distressing, irksome, or painful. bear is the general word and suggests merely being able to put up with something: She is bearing the disappointment quite well. stand is an informal equivalent, but with an implication of stout spirit: I couldn't stand the pain. endure implies continued resistance and patience over a long period of time: to endure torture.
usage: Since the latter part of the 18th century, a distinction has been made between born and borne as past participles of the verb bear. borne is the past participle in all senses that do not refer to physical birth: The wheat fields have borne abundantly. Judges have always borne a burden of responsibility. borne is also the participle when the sense is “to bring forth (young)” and the focus is on the mother rather than on the child. In such cases, borne is preceded by a form of have or followed by by: She had borne a son the previous year. Two children borne by her earlier were already grown. When the focus is on the offspring or on something brought forth as if by birth, born is the standard spelling, and it occurs in passive constructions and in adjective phrases: My friend was born in Ohio. No children have been born at the South Pole. Abraham Lincoln, born in Kentucky, grew up in Illinois.
bear2
(bɛər)n., pl. bears, (esp. collectively) bear, n.
1. any large, stocky, omnivorous mammal of the carnivore family Ursidae, with thick, coarse fur, a very short tail, and a plantigrade gait, inhabiting the Northern Hemisphere and N South America.
2. a gruff, clumsy, or rude person.
3. a person who believes that stock prices will decline (opposed to bull).
4. (cap.) either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
adj. 5. marked by declining prices, esp. of stocks: a bear market.
[before 1000; Middle English be(a)re, beor(e), Old English bera, c. Old High German bero; Germanic *beran- literally, the brown one]
bear′like`, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.