the.com/rear
The end you lead with when dignity isn't the priority.
means The back part of something, or to raise and care for something until it grows up — same word, opposite ends of the journey.
from From Old French 'riere' meaning 'behind,' tracing back to Latin 'retro' — yes, the same root lurking in 'retreat' and 'retrograde.' The verb sense (to rear a child, rear up on hind legs) comes from a completely different root — Old English 'ræran,' related to 'raise' and 'rise.' Two unrelated words that collided into one spelling, which is why 'rear' can mean both 'the back' and 'to lift up' without any contradiction intended.
- military usage
- rear means the back, away from enemy lines
- euphemism rank
- polite enough for grandmothers, still means butt
- verb sense
- to rear is to raise upward, or raise children
- etymology
- from old english raeran, to rise or build