tear

v. t. [ imp. Tore ((Obs. Tare) p. p. Torn p. pr. & vb. n. Tearing. ] [ OE. teren, AS. teran; akin to OS. farterian to destroy, D. teren to consume, G. zerren to pull, to tear, zehren to consume, Icel. t>ae/ra, Goth. gataíran to destroy, Lith. dirti to flay, Russ. drate to pull, to tear, Gr. de`rein to flay, Skr. dar to burst. √63. Cf. Darn, Epidermis, Tarre, Tirade. ] 1. To separate by violence; to pull apart by force; to rend; to lacerate; as, to tear cloth; to tear a garment; to tear the skin or flesh. [ 1913 Webster ]

Tear him to pieces; he's a conspirator. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence, to divide by violent measures; to disrupt; to rend; as, a party or government torn by factions. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To rend away; to force away; to remove by force; to sunder; as, a child torn from its home. [ 1913 Webster ]

The hand of fate
Hath torn thee from me. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To pull with violence; as, to tear the hair. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To move violently; to agitate. “Once I loved torn ocean's roar.” Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

To tear a cat, to rant violently; to rave; -- especially applied to theatrical ranting. [ Obs. ] Shak. --
To tear down, to demolish violently; to pull or pluck down. --
To tear off, to pull off by violence; to strip. --
To tear out, to pull or draw out by violence; as, to tear out the eyes. --
To tear up, to rip up; to remove from a fixed state by violence; as, to tear up a floor; to tear up the foundation of government or order. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To divide or separate on being pulled; to be rent; as, this cloth tears easily. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To move and act with turbulent violence; to rush with violence; hence, to rage; to rave. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of tearing, or the state of being torn; a rent; a fissure. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wear and tear. See under Wear, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who tears or rends anything; also, one who rages or raves with violence. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Shedding tears; tender. [ Poetic ] “Tear-falling pity.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Abounding with tears; weeping; shedding tears; as, tearful eyes. -- Tear"ful*ly, adv. -- Tear"ful*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Shedding no tears; free from tears; unfeeling. -- Tear"less*ly, adv. -- Tear"less*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Anat.) A cavity or pouch beneath the lower eyelid of most deer and antelope; the lachrymal sinus; larmier. It is capable of being opened at pleasure and secretes a waxy substance. [ 1913 Webster ]