tear

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A drop of the clear salty liquid that is secreted by the lachrymal gland of the eye to lubricate the surface between the eyeball and eyelid and to wash away irritants.
• noun A profusion of this liquid spilling from the eyes and wetting the cheeks, especially as an expression of emotion.
• noun The act of weeping.
• noun A drop of a liquid or hardened fluid.
• intransitive verb To become filled with tears.
• intransitive verb To pull apart or into pieces by force; rend.
• intransitive verb To cause to be pulled apart unintentionally, as by accident.
• intransitive verb To lacerate (the skin, for example).
• intransitive verb To make (an opening) in something by pulling it apart or by accident.
• intransitive verb To separate forcefully; wrench.
• intransitive verb To divide or disrupt.
• intransitive verb To become torn.
• intransitive verb To move with heedless speed; rush headlong.
• noun The act of tearing.
• noun The result of tearing; a rip or rent.
• noun A great rush; a hurry.
• noun Slang A carousal; a spree.
• idiom (tear (one's) hair) To be greatly upset or distressed.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun A drop or small quantity of the limpid fluid secreted by the lacrymal gland, appearing in the eye or falling from it; in the plural, the peculiar secretion of the lacrymal gland, serving to moisten the front of the eyeball and inner surfaces of the eyelids, and on occasion to wash out the eye or free it from specks of dirt, dust, or other irritating substances.
• noun Hence plural Figuratively, grief; sorrow.
• noun Something like a tear-drop.
• noun In glass manufacturing, a defect, of occasional occurrence, consisting of a bit of clay from the roof or glass-pot partially vitrified in the glass. Such tears sometimes cause a glass object to fly to pieces without apparent cause.
• noun In the making of ornamental glass, a pear-shaped drop of colored glass applied for ornament.
• noun See Coix.
• noun A rent; a fissure.
• noun A turbulent motion, as of water.
• noun A spree.
• To fill or besprinkle with or as with tears.
• noun plural The gum-disease of citrous trees; psorosis.
• To rend; pull apart or in pieces; make a rent or rents in: as, to tear one's clothes; to tear up a letter.
• To produce or effect by rending or some similar action: as, to tear a hole in one's dress.
• To lacerate; wound in the surface, as by the action of teeth or of something sharp rudely dragged over it: as, to tear the skin with thorns: also used figuratively: as, a heart torn with anguish; a party or a church torn by factions.