The spelling of the word "eared" reflects the common pronunciation of the sound /ɪər/ in English. The /ɪə/ sound is a diphthong, which means it is made up of two vowel sounds blended together. In the case of "eared," the first sound is /ɪ/, as in "sit," and the second is /ə/, as in "the." The "-ed" ending is added to form the past tense of the verb "ear," meaning to hear or listen attentively. So, "eared" is pronounced like "eerd" in IPA phonetic transcription.
Eared is an adjective that describes an object or organism that has ears or ear-like appendages. The term "eared" is derived from the noun "ear," which is the organ responsible for hearing in humans and other animals. However, the term can also be used more broadly to refer to any structure or feature resembling an ear.
In a more literal sense, when referring to living organisms, "eared" usually describes those that possess external appendages or structures resembling ears. For example, many mammals, such as dogs, cats, and mice, are eared creatures as they have visible, protruding ears on the sides of their heads. These appendages aid in the collection and amplification of sound waves, enabling organisms to detect and process auditory stimuli.
In a figurative or metaphorical sense, "eared" can describe objects or structures that resemble or are shaped like ears. This could include certain types of pottery, utensils, or even geological formations. For instance, a teapot with handle-shaped appendages resembling ears could be described as eared due to its visual resemblance to the organ.
Overall, "eared" primarily conveys the presence of ears or ear-like structures, whether in the literal or metaphorical sense, thereby providing a descriptive term for objects or organisms that possess such features.
Having ears.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "eared" has its roots in Middle English and Old English. It is derived from the Old English word "ēarod" which means "having ears" or "having the shape of an ear". This comes from the Proto-Germanic word "hauziwô" which also means "having ears". Ultimately, it can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₃ouseh₂-" which means "to hear" or "ear" and has given rise to words connected to hearing in various Indo-European languages.