peer

Noun · Verb

Synonyms: equal match compeer

WordNet 3.0

Noun (2)

a person who is of equal standing with another in a groupSynonyms: equal match compeer
a nobleman (duke or marquis or earl or viscount or baron) who is a member of the British peerage

Verb (1)

look searchingly“We peered into the back of the shop to see whether a salesman was around”

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Peer \Peer\, n. [OE. per, OF. per, F. pair, fr. L. par equal. Cf. Apparel, Pair, Par, n., Umpire.]

1.One of the same rank, quality, endowments, character, etc.; an equal; a match; a mate. [1913 Webster]

In song he never had his peer.— Dryden.[1913 Webster]

Shall they consort only with their peers?— I. Taylor.[1913 Webster]

2.A comrade; a companion; a fellow; an associate. [1913 Webster]

He all his peers in beauty did surpass.— Spenser.[1913 Webster]

3.A nobleman; a member of one of the five degrees of the British nobility, namely, duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron; as, a peer of the realm. [1913 Webster]

A noble peer of mickle trust and power.— Milton.[1913 Webster]

House of Peers, The Peers, the British House of Lords. See Parliament.

Spiritual peers, the bishops and archibishops, or lords spiritual, who sit in the House of Lords. [1913 Webster]

Peer \Peer\ (p[=e]r), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Peered; p. pr. & vb. n. Peering.] [OF. parir, pareir equiv. to F. para[^i]tre to appear, L. parere. Cf. Appear.]

1.To come in sight; to appear. [Poetic] [1913 Webster]

So honor peereth in the meanest habit.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

See how his gorget peers above his gown!— B. Jonson.[1913 Webster]

2.[Perh. a different word; cf. OE. piren, LG. piren. Cf. Pry to peep.] To look narrowly or curiously or intently; to peep; as, the peering day. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

As if through a dungeon grate he peered.— Coleridge.[1913 Webster]

Peer \Peer\ v. t. To make equal in rank. [R.] --Heylin. [1913 Webster]

Peer \Peer\ v. t. To be, or to assume to be, equal. [R.] [1913 Webster]

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing

peer

<networking> A unit of communications hardware or software that is on the same protocol layer of a network as another. A common way of viewing a communications link is as two protocol stacks, which are actually connected only at the very lowest (physical) layer, but can be regarded as being connected at each higher layer by virtue of the services provided by the lower layers. Peer-to-peer communication refers to these real or virtual connections between corresponding systems in each layer.

To give a simple example, when two people talk to each other, the lowest layer is the physical layer which concerns the sound pressure waves travelling from mouth to ear (so mouths and ears are peers) the next layer might be the speech and hearing centres in the people's brains and the top layer their cerebellums or minds. Although, barring telepathy, nothing passes directly between the two minds, there is a peer-to-peer communication between them.

(2007-03-27)