▪ I. † geir Obs.
Forms: 6–7 geire, geyre, 7 gier, geer, 7–8 geir, 7, 9 geier.
[a. Du. gier = G. geier, MHG. gîr, gîre, OHG. gîr, kîr, not found in the other Teut. languages.]
A vulture.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Vultur, a rauenous birde called a voulter or geyre. 1586 J. Hooker Girald. Irel. in Holinshed II. 43/1 Argent three griphs or geires gules crowned gold: this griph or geire is a kind of an eagle. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 353 The Vultures or Geires which flie from sweet ointments, are desirous yet of other odors and perfumes. 1615 T. Thomas Lat. Dict., Vultur, a ravenous birde called a vulter, a geyre or grappe. 1721–1800 Bailey, Geir, a Vulture. |
b. Comb. geir-eagle (= G. geier-adler), used in the Bible of 1611 to render Heb. rāhām, supposed to be the Neophron percnopterus, a species of vulture.
| 1611 Bible Lev. xi. 18 The Swanne, and the Pellicane, and the Gier-eagle. ― Deut. xiv. 17 The Geer-eagle. 1835 Browning Paracelsus i. 19 Ask the gier-eagle [ed. 1888 geier-eagle] why she stoops at once Into the vast and unexplored abyss! |
▪ II. geir(e
obs. form of gear n.