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blear

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Blear refers to a state of being dim or blurred, often used to describe eyes that are watery or unfocused.

Detailed Definition
The term 'blear' is often used in literature to evoke a sense of weariness or emotional distress, particularly in relation to the eyes. In the context of the poem, it describes the speaker's mother's eyes, suggesting a depth of feeling and perhaps sorrow. This word adds a layer of emotional complexity to the imagery of vision and perception.
Example
Example in poetry:
"My mother's eyes are wet and blear, My little sister's are not clear" (dimmed vision); "The blear light of dawn" (weak illumination); "Blear with weeping, her eyes" (grief); "A blear winter morning" (atmospheric); "His sight grew blear with age" (mortality)
Additional Notes
The word 'blear' is used to describe the mother's eyes, indicating a blurred or watery state that conveys emotional depth.; Found in the poem, Her Eyes by John Crowe Ransom
Also Known As
bleary dim hazy watery-eyed
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