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share 1 (shâr)
Share:
n.
1. A part or portion belonging to, distributed to, contributed by, or owed by a person or group: The pirates argued over their shares of the treasure.
2. An equitable portion: do one's share of the work.
3.
a. One of the equal parts into which the capital stock of a company is divided: bought 200 shares of the company's stock.
b. A unit of ownership in a mutual fund or other investment vehicle: bought two shares in a mutual fund.
c. shares Chiefly British Stocks: European shares jumped two percent. The fund invests half the money in bonds and half in shares.
v. shared, shar·ing, shares
v.tr.
1.
a. To accord a share in (something) to another or others: shared her chocolate bar with a friend.
b. To divide and parcel out in shares; apportion: shared the estate among his heirs.
2.
a. To participate in, use, enjoy, or experience jointly or in turns: share a responsibility; share a room.
b. To hold or have jointly with another or others: She shares my view about the election.
3. To relate (a secret or experience, for example) to another or others.
4. Computers To make (a digital file) accessible to other users on a network, as for copying and downloading.
v.intr.
1. To have a share or part: shared in the profits.
2. To allow someone to use or enjoy something that one possesses: Being in daycare taught the child to share.
3. To use or enjoy something jointly or in turns: There is only one computer, so we will have to share.
4. To talk about personal experiences or feelings with others.
Idiom:
go shares
To be concerned or partake equally or jointly, as in a business venture.

[Middle English, from Old English scearu, division; see sker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

sharea·ble, shara·ble adj.
sharer n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
share 2 (shâr)
Share:
n.
A plowshare.

[Middle English, from Old English scēar; see sker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.