Rearings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of raising or lifting something upward
2. The process of nurturing and bringing up offspring in a physical or metaphorical sense
3. An instance of raising a body or spirit in a distinctive manner or at a specific time

Etymology: "Rearings" is the plural of "rearing," a noun meaning the act of raising something, and its roots go back to Middle English "rerynge," meaning "raising." That Middle English form was built on the verb "rear," which came from Old English "rǣran," meaning to raise up or set upright. The verb was tied to the idea of lifting something from a lower to a higher position, and the noun grew out of that same action. The plural form points to repeated or distinct occurrences. Where "rearing" can name the general act of lifting, "rearings" picks out particular instances, each one a separate raising, which is why the word suits descriptions of a body or spirit being lifted in a particular manner or at a particular time.

Synonyms: upbringings, nurturings