Drops of clear salty liquid that form in the eyes, especially as a result of strong emotion or irritation. Can also refer to rips or holes in material.
From Old English 'tear' (drop from the eye), related to Proto-Germanic 'tahra-'. The 'rip' meaning comes from Old English 'teran' meaning 'to tear apart', showing how one word can have completely different origins.
Tears are one of the few human secretions that serve an emotional rather than purely biological function - they're essentially liquid feelings that others can see. Remarkably, emotional tears have a different chemical composition than tears from irritation, containing stress hormones and natural painkillers.
Emotional tears feminized in Western culture; male emotional expression pathologized while female tears stereotyped as manipulative or weakness, limiting authentic expression across genders.
Treat tears as a valid physiological response across all people. Avoid gendering emotional expression or reading tears as weakness, dishonesty, or manipulation.
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