DEAR, DEARNESS (cost)
ADJECTIVES
1710 ► SALT dear, high in price, expensive, costly; excessive in amount → Sc. & Eng. dial.
1837 ► DIGGING dear, expensive, costly → Amer. dial. obs.
1881 ► DEAR AS SAFFRON excessively dear, expensive → Eng. dial.
1974 ► SALTY dear, expensive, costly → Amer. dial.
NOUNS
1632 ► DEARTH dearness, costliness, high price → obs.
VERBS
1424 ► DEAR to make dear or expensive; to raise the price of → Sc. obs.
1440 ► DEARTH to make dear in price; to raise the price of anything; to cause or produce a scarcity of or in anything → obs. exc. Sc.
Lexicophilia 