▪ I. † aˈrrear, adv. Obs.
Forms: 4–6 arere, 6 arear(e, arreir, 6–7 arreare, 6–8 arrere, 7–8 arrear.
[a. OF. arere, ariere (mod.F. arrière), Pr. a(r)reire:—Merovingian L. ad retro, f. ad to, retro backward.]
1. Of direction: Backward, to the rear, behind, into the background.
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vii. 405 Thanne gan he go..Som tyme asyde · and som tyme a-rere. c 1450 Henryson Test. Creseide 196 All earthly ioy and mirth I set arere. 1591 Spenser Virgils Gnat 468 She..Obseru'd th' appointed way..Ne euer did her eysight turne arere. |
2. Of position: In the rear, behind; in the background. Cf. a-rear.
| 1393 Gower Conf. I. 315 Shall no man knowe by his chere, Which is avaunt, ne whiche arere. c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xvi. 90 Grees goon on out of gree and prechingis rennen arere. 1509 Barclay Ship of Fooles (1570) 208 When a simple seruaunt must needes stande arere. 1600 Fairfax Tasso ii. xl, To leaue with speed Atlanta swift arreare. |
3. Of action: to do, put arrear: to rout. to run arrear: to fall into confusion or disorder.
| 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 241 Þe Walsch com þam ageyn, did our men alle arere. 1529 Lyndesay Complaynt 122 Than did my purpose ryn arreir. 1530 ― Papyngo 567 The court of Rome, that tyme, rane all aureir. |
4. Of time: a. Behindhand, behind date, overdue. (Replaced by in arrear.)
| 1477 Norton Ord. Alch. in Ashm. 1652 ii. 30 He with haste shall bringe his warke arreare. 1552 Huloet, Arrere to be with accompt or reckenynge, Reliquor. 1648 Petit. East. Ass. 25 To order Collectors..to distrain for what is Arrear. 1768 Blackstone Comm. II. 42 In case they be behind, or arrere, at the day appointed, the lord may distrein. |
b. Behind us in time, past and gone.
| 1587 Turberville, Not with such friendly face..As earst thou hadst: those louely lookes and blincks are all arreare. |
5. In various combinations in which the simple rear is now used; as arrear-admiral, arrear-supper; where it also varies with the mod.F. form arrière. Also arrear-ban(d: see arrière-ban; arrear-guard, -ward, q.v.
| 1600 Holland Livy xxxvii. xxix. 961 Eudamus the arriere-admirall [qui cogebat agmen]..made head with his owne ship against the very admirall of the enemies. |
▪ II. arrear, n.
(əˈrɪə(r))
Forms: 4 ariere, 7 arrier, arrere, arreare, 7– arrear.
[The prec. adv. used absolutely: ‘that which is behind.’ At first only in the phr. in arrear, which was perhaps rather a compound adverb, like F. en arrière, en avant (answering to arrear adv. in senses 2–4), but led the way to truly substantive uses, in which the pl. arrears is now common.]
I. in arrear.
† 1. In time past. Obs.
| 1340 Ayenb. 165 Ase habbeþ ydo ine ariere and þe filozofe payen and þe holy Cristene man. |
† 2. In the hinder place or position: see rear.
| 1642 Howell For. Trav. (Arb.) 33 Mind and Tongue go commonly together (and the first comes sometimes in the arreare). |
3. Backward, behindhand as to state or condition. in arrear of: behind.
| 1845 Ford Handbk. Spain i. 59 The arts of medicine and surgery are somewhat in arrear in Spain. 1859 Reeve Brittany 238 The science of natural history [was] in arrear of the arts. |
4. a. Behind in the discharge of duties or liabilities; in indebtedness, in debt. Cf. arrearage.
| 1621 James I in Ellis Orig. Lett. i. 300 III. 169 If he once runne in arreare, he will ever goe bakkwarde. 1676 Clarendon Surv. Leviath. 297 Who in truth are in too great an arrear to him. 1678 R. Lestrange Seneca's Mor. (1702) 72 But when I have paid that, I am still in Arrier. 1713 Steele Englishm. Pref. 6 The World is in Arrear to your Virtue. 1806–31 A. Knox Rem. (1844) I. 70, I am two or three letters in arrear to different persons. |
b. in arrears: (with same meaning.)
| 1620 Naunton in Fortesc. Papers 140 The arreares they ar in for them. 1700 A. Charlett in Pepys' Diary VI. 228, I am very much in arrears to you for a thousand civilities. 1718 Free-thinker No. 93. 264, I am run deeply in Arrears to my Correspondents. 1810 Hutton Course Math. I. 260 When an annuity is forborn for some years, or the payments not made for that time, the annuity is said to be in Arrears. |
II. Without in.
5. The hinder part of anything, especially of a train or procession; the rear. arch.
| a 1627 Hayward Edward VI (1630) 18 Lastly followed the Arrier wherein were betweene 3 and 4000 foote. 1661 Heylin Hist. Ref. (1674) II. 83 (D.) The Duke of Suffolk and Sir John Cheek..shutting up the arrear. 1869 Dixon Tower in Casquet of Lit. (1877) IV. 132/1 A vessel firing guns in front, and a long arrear of craft behind. |
† 6. a. A portion held back; a deduction. Obs.
| 1768 T. Simes Mil. Medley, s.v., Arriers, is a deduction made from the officers according to their full pay. |
† b. fig. Something held in reserve; a sequel. Obs.
| 1659 Hammond On Ps. i. 3 Though there were never an arrear behinde of eternal hell. 1676 Bates Immort. Soul, There remains in another world a dreadful arrear of misery. |
7. a. That wherein one has fallen behind. A duty or liability overdue and still remaining undischarged, esp. a debt remaining unpaid.
| 1658 Whole Duty Man xiv. §24. 116 When Josiah had destroyed idolatry..yet there was an old arrear of Manasseh his grandfather. a 1733 North Lives I. 435 Nothing sat heavier on his spirits than a great arrear of business. 1796 Burke Let. Noble Ld. Wks. VIII. 4 Having so faithfully and so fully acquitted towards me whatever arrear of debt was left undischarged. 1840 Dickens Lett. (1880) I. 32 To you..I owe a long arrear of thanks. |
b. in pl. Outstanding liabilities, amounts, or balances; moneys due; debts. Also used as a sing. U.S.
| 1648 Petit. East. Ass. 24 To pay the late Arrears of the Army. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. ii. I. 134 The Profits and long-detained Arreres of the Popes Patrimoniolum. a 1711 Ken Poet. Wks. 1721 IV. 11 The Blood of dying God alone, can for my vast Arrears atone. 1833 Marryat P. Simple (1863) 189 To obtain my arrears of pay, and some prize-money which I find due. 1868 Pattison Academ. Org. §1. 22 The arrears of two centuries require to be cleared off. 1902 Rep. Librarian Congress 30 They constitute a large arrears, which should be dealt with speedily. |
▪ III. † aˈrrear, v. Obs.
Forms: 4–6 arere, 6 aryere, 7 arrear.
[a. OF. arere-r, later arierer, arrierer, to put back, draw back, f. arrière. Cf. avant, avancer, aval, avaler.]
1. trans. To keep back, allow to fall behind.
| c 1525 Skelton Vox Pop. Vox Dei 494 Except the fermour wyll aryere The rent hyere by a hole yeare. 1635 J. Slacke in Hearne Langtoft's Chron. (1810) 393 To pay unto me such Pentions as were arreared. |
2. intr. To draw back, fall back, retreat, recede. (Arere! may be imperative of the vb., or the adv. used interjectionally, like Back!)
| c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1902 And he schunt for þe scharp, & schulde haf arered. 1399 Rich. Redeless iii. 110 A-rere now to Richard, and reste here a while. c 1400 Beryn 1972 Somtyme thowe wolt auaunte, and som tyme [wolt] arere. 1509 Barclay Ship of Fooles (1570) ¶¶ iij, Ye London galantes arere, ye shall not enter. |
▪ IV. arrear(e
later corrupt form of arear v.