[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

dear \dear\ d=er, a. compar. dearer d=er"~er;
   superl. dearest d=er"e^st. oe. dere, deore, as.
   de'ore; akin to os. diuri, d. duur, ohg. tiuri, g. theuer,
   teuer, icel. d=yrr, dan.  sw. dyr. cf. darling,
   dearth.
   1. bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive.
      1913 webster

            the cheapest of us is ten groats too dear. --shak.
      1913 webster

   2. marked by scarcity or dearth, and exorbitance of price;
      as, a dear year.
      1913 webster

   3. highly valued; greatly beloved; cherished; precious. "hear
      me, dear lady." --shak.
      1913 webster

            neither count i my life dear unto myself. --acts xx.
                                                  24.
      1913 webster

            and the last joy was dearer than the rest. --pope.
      1913 webster

            dear as remember'd kisses after death. --tennyson.
      1913 webster

   4. hence, close to the heart; heartfelt; present in mind;
      engaging the attention.
      a of agreeable things and interests.
          1913 webster

                i'll leave you to attend him: some dear cause
                will in concealment wrap me up awhile. --shak.
          1913 webster

                his dearest wish was to escape from the bustle
                and glitter of whitehall.         --macaulay.
      b of disagreeable things and antipathies.
          1913 webster

                in our dear peril.                --shak.
          1913 webster

                would i had met my dearest foe in heaven
                or ever i had seen that day.      --shak.
          1913 webster
see also:
dearer dearest darling dearth 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

dearest
     n : a beloved person; used as terms of endearment syn: beloved,
          dear, loved one, honey, love
see also:
beloved dear loved one honey love 

Dearest >> D Words
Dearest, definition of term: Dearest
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