the.com/bear
a 600-pound mammal that runs faster than a horse and naps for half the year
means A large, heavy-bodied mammal with thick fur, powerful limbs, and claws, found across the Northern Hemisphere — or, as a verb, to carry, endure, or give birth.
from The animal-word comes from Old English 'bera,' tracing back to a Proto-Germanic root that may have meant 'the brown one.' This is one of language's famous taboo-words: speakers across the north were apparently so wary of summoning the beast by its true name (thought to be the lost root that survives in Latin 'ursus' and Greek 'arktos') that they substituted a polite nickname — and the nickname stuck so hard the real name vanished. The verb 'bear,' meaning to carry or endure, is an entirely separate word from Old English 'beran,' a cousin of Latin 'ferre' and the source of 'birth,' 'burden,' and 'bairn.' Two unrelated words wearing the same coat.
- sprint speed
- Grizzlies hit 35 mph, outrunning most pro athletes
- winter trick
- Hibernating bears don't pee for months
- bite force
- Polar bears crush bone like a hydraulic press
- hidden cousin
- Pandas are technically bears, despite the bamboo diet
- sense of smell
- Detects food from miles, beating any tracking dog
bear stearns — investment bank that collapsed in march 2008, triggering the financial crisis
bear bryant — alabama football coach who won 6 national championships between 1961-1979
bear grylls — british adventurer and tv host of man vs. wild since 2006