DCHP-1 Online

white bear

• 1 a polar bear.

  • 1600  (1889)  The soile is barren in some places, and yeeldeth litle fruit, but it is full of white beares, and stagges farre greater than ours.
  • 1717  (1932)  Wee See the White Bear as broke our Netts.
  • 1823  The great white bear takes refuge in the most icy climates, and lives where scarcely any other animal can find substance.
  • 1953  [He had] several livid weals across his left cheek where a white bear once had clawed him.

• 2 Now Rare or Obs. a light-gray color phase of the grizzly bear.

  See also: grizzly bear  

  • 1791  The large white bear commonly called the grizly bear, is a very dangerous animal.
  • 1921  As long as there's danger o' white bears bein' round you'll never again find Old Billy Brass tryin' to sleep beside a big fire.
  • 1952  (1954)  There were also red deer or biche, and white bears and white partridges, or ptarmigan, which were very fine eating but not so plentiful as other kinds.

• 3 the white or creamy-white color phase of the Kermode bear.

  See also: Kermode bear (def. 2)  

  • 1964  [Caption] This is the only British Columbia white bear ever kept in captivity.
  • 1966  The white bear had disappeared by the time we got there. . . .